Nearly 150 people diagnosed with incurable asbestos-related cancer in Yorkshire

Almost 150 people across Yorkshire have been diagnosed with an ‘incurable’ lung cancer – which is usually linked to asbestos in the last five years.

A Freedom of Information request from the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has revealed how many people were diagnosed in the area between 2019 and 2023.

According to the NHS, mesothelioma is ‘usually linked to asbestos exposure’ and is often fatal. Asbestos is usually found in houses or buildings built before the year 2000, as it was widely used in a variety of building materials.

There have also been a number of fatal cases where employees have been affected as a result of their workplace being contaminated. In these cases, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

The new data shows that between April and December 2019, 39 people were diagnosed with mesothelioma across the York and Scarborough areas. 32 people were diagnosed in 2020, 22 in 2021 and 28 in 2022, and from January to August 2023, 21 people were diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma UK’s clinical nurse specialist Simon Bolton told a news outlet:  “We’ve got the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the world in the UK and that’s because of how we used asbestos mostly in post-war Britain.

“In the Yorkshire region, we’ve got a real asbestos legacy. In York, a lot of cases of mesothelioma will have come from people who worked in the carriage works.”

Asbestos in the workplace – what is the law?

Employers have had a legal duty to reduce and prevent exposure to asbestos since the early 1900s. Employers are under a duty of care to ensure their Employees are not put at any foreseeable risk as far as practicable.

At Oakwood Solicitors, our Industrial Disease solicitors have a wealth of experience in dealing with occupational cancer and respiratory claims. If you are suffering from mesothelioma or an asbestos-related illness, this may have been caused by your employers’ negligence regarding your safety for which you may be able to receive compensation.

Even if you develop symptoms years after exposure to the chemicals, or the company you worked for is no longer trading you may still be able to claim.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Those diagnosed with the condition are often given a short life expectancy and often deteriorate rapidly. The main symptoms of Mesothelioma to be aware of are:

• Wheezing or a dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Loss of Appetite
• Fever
• Swollen fingertips

Should you suffer from one or more of these symptoms, it is of absolute importance that you visit your G.P, who should refer you to hospital. Also if you believe or know you have worked with asbestos.

How to make a claim

If you have read the above and feel that you may be suffering from any of the symptoms whilst exposed to substances at work, call Oakwood Solicitors to speak to a member of our dedicated Industrial Disease team

Asbestos cases in Leeds

Leeds is known for the Armley asbestos disaster which affected around 1,000 homes and was the result of the activities of a local asbestos factory run by Turner & Newall/J. W. Roberts Ltd.

The textile factory, which was open from the end of the 19th century to 1959 was found to have the highest incidence in the country of mesothelioma and it is thought that at least 300 former employees died from asbestos-related illnesses years after.

Meanwhile, earlier this month The BBC reported that a woman from Leeds with mesothelioma is calling for asbestos to be removed from all public buildings after she was diagnosed in 2019 having been exposed to the material. Rose Hall, 64, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, decades after unknowingly breathing in asbestos fibres as a pupil at a Leeds school.

Ms. Hall said her cancer diagnosis in 2019 had left her “scared” and “lonely”.

“It’s a hard thing to have to live with, knowing I’m never going to be cured,” the grandmother told the BBC.

Further reading

Mesothelioma and Asbestos-related claims – Oakwood Solicitors

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you with your enquiry.