Being told you have pleural thickening can be frightening, especially when it comes years or even decades after the work that caused it. If you have been diagnosed after being exposed to asbestos, you may be wondering what it means for your health, and whether anything can be done about the exposure that led to it.
What is pleural thickening?
Pleural thickening is scarring of the pleura, the thin lining that covers the lungs and the inside of the chest wall. When the lining becomes thickened and less flexible, the lungs cannot expand as freely, which makes breathing harder. Diffuse pleural thickening is the more serious form, where the scarring spreads across a wider area of the lung lining.
How is pleural thickening linked to asbestos?
It is usually caused by breathing in asbestos fibres, often many years before any symptoms appear. Once inhaled, the tiny fibres can lodge in the lung lining and trigger the scarring that develops slowly over decades.
Asbestos remains the single biggest cause of work-related deaths in Britain. According to the Health and Safety Executive, there are around 5,000 asbestos-related deaths every year, and there were 2,146 mesothelioma deaths in 2024 alone. Because these diseases take so long to develop, today’s diagnoses reflect exposure that happened in the industrial and building trades of the past, particularly before 1980.
What are the symptoms of pleural thickening?
The most common symptoms are:
- Breathlessness, especially on exertion
- A tight feeling or discomfort in the chest
- Chest pain
- Reduced lung capacity that can worsen over time
Can I claim compensation for pleural thickening?
You may be able to claim if your pleural thickening was caused by asbestos exposure that an employer should have protected you from. Employers have long had a duty to guard workers against the known dangers of asbestos, and where they failed, compensation may be available.
You normally have three years to bring a claim, running from your “date of knowledge”, which is usually the point at which you were diagnosed and connected the condition to your past work, rather than the date of exposure itself (Limitation Act 1980). Because former employers may no longer exist, part of our job is tracing the insurers who covered them at the time.
Compensation depends on how much the condition affects your breathing and your daily life, so it is assessed case by case rather than as a fixed figure. In many asbestos cases it is also possible to claim “provisional” compensation, which means you can settle now while keeping the right to return for a further payment if your condition later develops into something more serious. Separately, diffuse pleural thickening is a recognised industrial disease, so you may also be able to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, for which you normally need to be assessed as at least 14% disabled (gov.uk).
WE Solicitors has deep experience in asbestos disease claims and has recently secured settlements for people and families affected by past exposure in heavy industry and engineering across the North of England. As asbestos and pleural thickening solicitors serving Manchester, Greater Manchester and Oldham, we handle these technically complex cases with care and discretion.
Frequently asked questions
Is pleural thickening the same as mesothelioma?
No. Pleural thickening is a non-cancerous scarring of the lung lining, whereas mesothelioma is a cancer. Both are linked to asbestos, and both can be the basis of a claim.
The company I worked for has closed. Can I still claim?
Often, yes. We regularly trace the insurers of businesses that no longer trade, so a closed employer does not usually end a claim.
If you or a family member has been diagnosed, we are here to help, without pressure. Call WE Solicitors free on 0800 294 3065 or use our online contact form, or read more about asbestos disease claims on our site.
Sources: HSE, Asbestos-related disease statistics, Great Britain (July 2026) · HSE, Mesothelioma statistics for Great Britain (July 2026) · gov.uk, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit · Limitation Act 1980.
