Asbestosis Claims

Specialist asbestosis compensation Solicitors

Asbestosis is a chronic, progressive lung condition caused by the inhalation of significant amounts of asbestos dust. Unlike mesothelioma, which can be caused by a single fibre, asbestosis is a form of pulmonary fibrosis that typically affects workers who were exposed to heavy concentrations of dust over a prolonged period. This heavy exposure causes the lung tissue to scar and harden, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

At WE Solicitors, we understand the specific burden of proof required for these claims. We must demonstrate that your exposure was substantial enough to cause the scarring, often referred to legally as “substantial contribution.”  Whether your condition is currently mild or severe, if you feel your exposure was modest or heavy, we will give you all the information you need.

Asbestosis symptoms vary depending upon the severity of the condition but they generally include:

• Shortness of breath
• Coughing
• Chest pain
• Reduced mobility or exercise capacity

It can take between and 10 and 20 years for the symptoms to appear after being exposed to asbestos.

Many people who are eventually diagnosed with asbestosis have a long history of attendances at the GP with repeat chest infections and breathlessness over many years .

Often a GP will send the sufferer for further investigations and tests at hospital. Initially this is usually a chest x- ray which may show the asbestosis. It is then usual for the sufferer to be reviewed by a consultant in the chest clinic of a local hospital  where the diagnosis is explained and the options of symptom control can be discussed.

There are other chest conditions which are very similar to asbestosis and present the same symptoms. To assist the treating consultant, it is important that asbestos exposure is discussed with them so this can be taken into account when they come to consider the diagnosis.