Macks’ asbestos claims specialist Anthony McCarthy has backed a call for tough new asbestos laws to help reduce the death toll from a deadly cancer that hits the North East harder than any other region.

Trade union Unite wants the government to introduce asbestos eradication legislation, requiring the safe removal of all asbestos still in place.

Anthony, a personal injury solicitor and director at Macks, says such a move would represent a “major step forward”.

“We should be doing everything we can to prevent mesothelioma,” he said. “It’s an aggressive and always fatal disease that ruins so many lives in the Teesside area and beyond.

“The disease can take up to 50 years to show itself. Sadly, that means that the number of cases continues to rise.

“Because so many Teessiders worked in traditional heavy industries, our area bears a disproportionate burden of this disease, as well as other illnesses caused by asbestos.

“I’ve seen many, many cases during my time as a personal injury lawyer and I’m passionate about fighting to get the best possible outcome for those who have been affected.

“But it’s also important to do what we can to prevent further misery and deaths within future generations.

“Eradicating asbestos from all workplaces would be a major step forward towards achieving this.”

Latest figures show the North East has more mesothelioma deaths than any other region, with Stockton and Hartlepool among the black spots, both appearing in the top 20 local authority areas with the highest number of deaths.

The Health and Safety Executive says there have been 60,000 deaths from mesothelioma in the UK and a further 90,000 people are expected to die from the effects of past asbestos exposure.

The increase in recent years has been driven mainly by deaths among those aged 75 and above.

Men who worked in the building industry when asbestos was used extensively are among those most at risk of mesothelioma.

Although asbestos was banned in 1999, the number of deaths is not expected to peak until the end of the decade.

The majority of mesothelioma deaths occurring now are a legacy of past occupational exposures to asbestos when it was commonly used in the building industry.

Asbestos disease factfile

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a very aggressive and incurable cancer that affects the lung lining and always causes death. It can take 50 years or more after exposure for the disease to develop.

Mesothelioma can be caused by relatively light exposure and is almost always asbestos-related, making the causative link relatively easy to prove. Victims can claim against a single insured former employer even if they were exposed in more than one period of employment.

Asbestosis  

Asbestosis is fibrosis of the lung, usually caused by very heavy exposure to asbestos. It damages lung tissue and diminishes the function of the lung, restricting breathing. It sometimes proves fatal.

Fibrosis of the lung can have other causes, so defendants often defend claims by arguing the illness hasn’t been proved to be asbestos-related.

Because the condition gets worse with increased exposure, victims may be forced to seek compensation from multiple employers, making claims more complicated.

Pleural thickening 

Pleural thickening is thickening of the lining of the lung. Once again, this is caused by asbestos exposure. As with asbestosis, pleural thickening is dose related meaning that the more a victim is exposed, the worse the condition becomes.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer can be caused by asbestos exposure, among other things. However, sufferers would need to prove substantial exposure to link lung cancer to working with asbestos. If the victim also smokes, it can be difficult to establish that the lung cancer is asbestos related.