Pleural Plaques Blow to Cumbrian Workers

A judgment today in the House of Lords will be a blow to hundreds of Cumbrians who have been negligently exposed to asbestos.

The House of Lords has ruled that workers with pleural plaques, a scarring to the lungs caused by asbestos exposure, will no longer be able to claim compensation.

The decision will have a particular impact in Cumbria due to the large number of workers from the county’s once strong shipbuilding industry where the use of asbestos was widespread until the 1980s.

Nick Gutteridge is a Partner in the Personal Injury department of Carlisle solicitors, Burnetts. He has many clients with diagnosed pleural plaques whose claims for compensation had been put on hold while the insurance companies appealed a 2005 High Court ruling that pleural plaques sufferers should be compensated.

He said, “This will be a devastating decision for our clients who know they have been exposed to asbestos and that they have a risk of developing serious illness, but they cannot claim compensation at this stage.”

Martin Bare, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) said “I am absolutely staggered the Lords have dashed the hopes of these men who have been negligently exposed to asbestos, he said. This ruling effectively tells them they have not been injured, yet their bodies have been invaded by asbestos and each day the clock is ticking.” 
 
It is widely accepted that although pleural plaques usually have no physical symptoms, they can indicate a risk of developing serious illnesses such as mesothelioma or other debilitating respiratory disease along with the anxiety that this risk brings.  Prior to today’s judgment, workers exposed to asbestos who were diagnosed with pleural plaques may have received compensation.

Nick Gutteridge is a personal injury solicitor, accredited by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.  For further information on Burnetts’ personal injury team, visit  the personal injury departmental pages or call Nick on 01228 552222

17th October 2007

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