Patients with an asbestos-related form of cancer who had been hoping for compensation now fear they will run out of time under new government rules on payouts.
Around 2,000 people a year in Britain die from mesothelioma, a cancer which attacks the thin membrane coating the lungs and abdomen. The disease is triggered by exposure to asbestos fibres in building materials and most commonly affects workers involved in construction, as well as shipyard and metal workers.
Compensation is already available for those who were exposed to the dust at work, as it is classed as an industrial injury, but last year ministers said they would extend compensation to people who had been exposed to the fibres at home or elsewhere in their environment, such as those who breathed in dust off the clothes of their partners.
