Lung cancer can have many causes, one of which is exposure to asbestos. The exposure may have taken place many years earlier but the asbestos fibres can be retained in the lungs, eventually causing this disease, which can be accompanied by asbestosis.
Symptoms of lung cancer can include breathlessness, chest pain, sudden weight loss and repeated incidents of chest conditions such as pneumonia and bronchitis. There is no cure for lung cancer but the symptoms can be reduced with the use of appropriate medication and oxygen therapy.
Lung cancer compensation claims can be complex and much will depend upon the person’s other clinical conditions and their history of exposure to asbestos. Where a person also has asbestosis, it is a lot easier to establish medically that the lung cancer has been caused by exposure to asbestos. If there are no clinical signs of asbestosis, this is much harder to prove.
In such cases, the medical expert (and possibly an engineering expert) in the claim will have to establish that the person satisfied the Helsinki Criteria. These assess the person’s level of exposure to asbestos and whether or not the lung cancer is attributable to asbestos exposure. Where a person has a history of smoking and asbestos exposure, the risk of developing lung cancer increases dramatically. These claims for compensation require careful analysis by a medical specialist and an experienced asbestos solicitor.
Lung cancer can develop in anyone who has had extensive contact with asbestos in the past. Common types of worker who can claim compensation for lung cancer are:
- Builders
- Plumbers
- Laggers
- Electricians
- Fitters
- Power station workers
Contact us to make a claim for compensation for lung cancer.
