The UK Government recently announced plans to introduce early benefit payments for sufferers of a terminal asbestos-related disease. In the US, meanwhile, there have been a number of recent attempts to introduce legislation to reform asbestos litigation. And last year, in Australia, a large manufacturing company settled a 10-year dispute with several insurers concerning their liability to pay asbestos claims. Asbestos continues to hit the headlines around the world as litigation continues apace.
Asbestos was the largest cause of work-related deaths in the UK in the 20th century, and the impact is far from over. Mortality continues to rise and the number of deaths resulting from asbestos exposure each year may not peak for another 20 years. It is expected that asbestos-related deaths will continue beyond the middle of this century.
