Insurance company supports changes to asbestos mesothelioma laws

An English insurance company is throwing its weight behind a proposal to overhaul current government guidelines that regulate how people can sue their former employers over asbestos-related ailments. Co-operative Insurance says thousands of people who worked in heavy industry jobs went on to development serious health problems caused by occupational asbestos exposure.

Now, the company says that many people suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer can no longer sue their former employers, as many of these companies are no longer in business. In many cases, the companies that provided the liability insurance for industrial corporations have also gone out of business.

Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

A spokesperson with Co-operative Insurance told reporters, “Co-operative Insurance is…calling on the industry to work together to ensure that individuals and families affected by asbestos-related illness can access compensation whether it is provided by an individual insurer or the industry as a whole.”

David Neave, head of general insurance for the company, added: “Whilst a diagnosis is hard enough, for the victim to find that they cannot claim for compensation as their past employer has now ceased trading and the insurance provider cannot be traced can make an already difficult situation much worse.”