Industry News: Mesothelioma sufferer wins £110,000 compensation
A man suffering from mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos has won more than £110,000 in a mesothelioma compensation claim.
Pensioner Bert Scammell, 79, had enjoyed a healthy life until symptoms of the disease began in 2008. He said: ‘It was in the summer of 2008 when I began to feel breathless and generally unwell.
‘I visited my GP who referred me to the King George Hospital where they arranged an x-ray, and I was admitted for some fluid to be drained from my chest.
‘My consultant found a little further fluid on my lung and I was transferred to St Bart's Hospital in London.’
Mr Scammell was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, in January 2009.
Although initially unsure of how had come into contact with asbestos, Lesley Mynett, an industrial disease specialist, said Mr Scammell's job issuing tools and materials to the workforce at chemical production company Plessey’s was to blame.
One of these materials Scammell issued daily to the workforce was an 'asbestos-replacement' product.
‘It was introduced as an alternative to using asbestos’, said Mynett, ‘and Mr Scammell - and many others using it at the time - believed it to be harmless.
‘Unfortunately, the product was up to 50 per cent asbestos, and so he was being exposed on a daily basis without any knowledge.’
Mr Scammell was not issued with a safety mask while working with the product and was therefore regularly exposed to asbestos fibres. It wasn’t until four decades later that the symptoms of mesothelioma began to appear.
If you think you might have a claim for mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease, call the National Accident Helpline free today to find out how to make a claim for compensation.
