Asbestos and its legacy in Suffolk
Asbestos’s deadly legacy has brought pain and tragedy to thousands of families – including many here in Suffolk, where the effect of exposure to the material continues to be felt.
Ipswich and Suffolk enjoyed a proud reputation in the 1960s and 1970s as an engineering and manufacturing powerhouse, with major industries delivering employment for a large proportion of the county’s workers.
Sizewell Power Station, the Cliff Quay Power Station, Ipswich Sugar Beet factory and the Cranes plant provided jobs for thousands of people. However, many of those roles involved working in direct contact with deadly asbestos, the risks of which were largely unknown at the time.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibre that was widely used in construction and other industries until the late 1990s to insulate and fireproof buildings, and in ceiling tiles, pipe insulation and boilers. Contact with the material can lead to mesothelioma – a potentially fatal condition that can take several decades to develop.
Gotelee Solicitors has successfully acted for a number of victims of asbestos-related diseases and their families, many of whom were employed in local industries such as Sizewell Power Station.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, there were 2,538 deaths attributable to mesothelioma cancer in 2013 – the latest year for which figures are available, which is a slight decrease on the 2,548 deaths recorded a year earlier.
Mesothelioma incidence rates in Great Britain have increased almost five-fold since the late 1970s, though they have remained stable over the last decade in the UK.
How can Gotelee help?
Our expert team of personal injury lawyers have a wealth of experience in claims of this kind, acting for both the person exposed to asbestos and their families.
If you or a member of your family has suffered an asbestos-related illness or if you have lost a loved one to the disease, you may be able to make a claim for compensation and claim state benefits.
Our vast local knowledge of how asbestos was used in the region means we can settle most claims quickly and effectively.
To find out more, call James Davies on 01473 298159, email [email protected].
