Thurrock has fourth highest asbestos death rate in the country (From Thurrock Gazette)

Thurrock has fourth highest asbestos death rate in the country

2:36pm Monday 20th February 2012 in News

THURROCK has the fourth highest asbestos-related death rate in the UK.

From 2006 to the end of 2010, the death rate from mesothelioma was more than twice the national average, at 53.

The terminal cancer of the lung wall almost exclusively affects workers who have come into contact with asbestos.

The figures were obtained by not-for-profit campaign group, Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

APIL president David Bott said: “More people die of mesothelioma in Thurrock per head of the population than most other parts of the country.

“This is bad enough, but the number of men dying from this disease is expected to peak during the next five years and what many people don’t realise is that hundreds of sufferers across the UK cannot get the compensation they need to help them through the last days of their life.

“What is needed is for the Government to bring forward proposals for a fund of last resort which would act as a safety net for injured workers who are otherwise unable to pursue the justice they deserve.”

For more information about APIL, go online to www.apil.org.uk.