Have you been exposed to Asbestos?

This is a phrase that can often cause alarm when asked by a medical professional. A chest x-ray or CT scan of the chest might be undertaken for any number of medical reasons, but can sometimes identify or suggest the presence of an asbestos related condition such as pleural plaques, pleural thickening, asbestosis or mesothelioma.

If you, or a member of your family, have been advised that you/they may be suffering from an asbestos related disease, you should contact a Solicitor who has specialist knowledge of asbestos litigation for legal advice without delay.

How or where might I have been exposed ?

1.  Working directly with asbestos insulation and/or asbestos products – jobs in this category include pipe insulators/laggers or ‘white men’ as they were known in the shipyard; heating engineers involved in boiler repairs; building labourers & joiners involved in cutting and shaping asbestos products, such as soffit boards, fire doors and wall insulation, and car mechanics repairing asbestos brake linings. This is not an exhaustive list, merely our experience of those workers most commonly exposed to asbestos. The Health & Safety Executive website lists common materials used in the building trade, including sprayed coatings, ceilings &walls, asbestos insulation board, asbestos cement products, asbestos roofing felt, rope seals & gaskets http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/common-materials.htm

2.  Working in the vicinity of others who handled or otherwise disturbed asbestos insulation or asbestos based products ; in our experience, this occurred in larger workplaces/heavy industry where all tasks performed in close proximity to each other, sites which included Harland & Wolff shipyard; Coolkeeragh Power Station; the West Twins Power Station, DuPont based at the Maydown Industrial Estate, and Courtaulds in Carrickfergus.

3.  ‘Secondary Exposure’ ; there are reported cases of wives and even daughters having contracted asbestos disease following exposure to asbestos dust and materials whilst washing overalls carried home by their husband/father. Please note however, claims can only be made in this regard where the secondary exposure occurred after 1 January 1966.

Where might I have been exposed to asbestos in Northern Ireland?

As above, we have successfully pursued claims on behalf of many men and women, who were exposed to asbestos, during their work at or near the following sites:

-The Harland & Wolff Shipyard (this includes not only those employed by Harland & Wolff directly, but also Insulating Subcontractors, including Cork Insulation, Union Insulation, Andersons Insulation, Dicks Asbestos & Insulation, Darlington Insulation, Cape Contracts, Cape Insulation, Anchor Insulation, Capper Pipe Services, Henry Nelson Ltd and Mersey Insulation);

-Coolkeeragh Power Station;

-West Twins Power Station; -Courtaulds in Carrickfergus;

-DuPont, Maydown Industrial Estate;

-Carrington Viyella Carpets/Cyril Lord/Donaghadee Carpets Limited in its various guises in Donaghadee, Co Down;

-Goodyear Tyres in Craigavon;

-Ulster Printworks, Newtownards;

-Irish Fertiliser Industries (also known as Richardsons Fertilisers);

-Whilst serving in the Merchant Navy;

Moreover, many workers, particularly those in the Insulation trade, will have worked for many of the firms mentioned above over the course of their working lives.

How long does it take symptoms to develop ?

It can often take in or around 25 – 30 years for symptoms of asbestos related disease to develop, so it can be quite a task to try and recall when the asbestos exposure may have occurred and in what capacity. It is therefore essential that legal advice is sought as soon as possible.

We, at Worthingtons Solicitors, have extensive experience of asbestos litigation, having successfully pursued asbestos related disease claims over many years and recovering considerable amounts of compensation for our clients.