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My constituent, Mrs Avril Gooding-Grant, has tragically lost two partners to this dreadful disease, a lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Most people who develop this life threatening condition have worked in jobs where they have inhaled asbestos particles or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibres in other ways. The symptoms of this illness may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure.
Given my constituency covers areas where many former dockyard workers live, there have been a particularly large number of people suffering from asbestos-related conditions.
Currently only sufferers who contract the disease from exposure to asbestos at work are eligible to claim a lump sum from the State but there is a Government proposal to widen the net, providing up-front financial support to those who were exposed to asbestos from a relative, for example by coming into contact with dust covered overalls or living near a factory using asbestos. I welcome this development which will be of considerable benefit to many of my constituents.
The Mesothelioma Awareness Day on Friday 27 February is an opportunity to bring to my constituents’ attention the seriousness and dangers of this condition and highlight the need for Government funded research and action from employers on protection of their workforce from exposure to asbestos.
I am grateful to Mrs Gooding-Grant for bringing this issue to my attention.
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