A GRANDAD is living with the fear he could develop cancer, 50 years after being exposed to asbestos in the workplace.
Brian Jackson, of Quarmby, suffers from the asbestos-related condition plural plaques and says he feels like he is living with a time bomb as this puts him at risk of developing the fatal cancer mesothelioma.
He also has to deal with the fact that unless his condition worsens or the law changes, he is unlikely to receive any compensation.
The 67-year-old worked at Huddersfield-based C Watson and Sons Ltd between 1956 and 1960 as a heating engineer.
The Examiner reported on Friday that Colin Gardner won £145,000 compensation after developing lung cancer during his time at the same company as a plumbing apprentice.
Mr Jackson worked with Mr Gardner at the firm and decided to look into pursing a claim himself after reading his story.
The grandfather-of-three joined Watson’s as an apprentice after leaving school at the age of 15.
He said: “I worked in buildings all over Huddersfield, fitting boilers and heating systems and insulating them with asbestos.
“Many of them, including Hollybank teacher training college and the old fire station, were riddled with the stuff but they were later knocked down or the asbestos was removed.
“There was no such thing as protective clothing, I worked until I looked like a little snowman I was so covered in it and I had to travel home on the bus like that.
“The industry has known since the 1930s that asbestos was dangerous but we didn’t know until many years after we had been exposed.”
Mr Jackson had no idea of the health problems he was facing until eight years ago when he saw a solicitor’s advert in the Examiner asking for those who had worked in occupations involving asbestos to get in touch.
He had a health check which revealed that he had plural plaque – scarring on the lungs caused by asbestos exposure.
Scientific evidence suggests that sufferers are at increased risk of developing more serious conditions like mesothelioma or asbestosis.
Those with plural plaques used to be able to claim for compensation but the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling in 2006 after insurance companies appealed.
That means that those like Mr Jackson either have to wait for a change in the law or wait until their condition worsens to claim.
He said: “I have spoken to a solicitor but until my condition develops into something more serious there’s nothing I can do.
“Because it’s in the early stages it might never develop into cancer but it’s a bit like living with a time bomb knowing it could happen – all I can do is pray that doesn’t happen.”
Ian Bailey of solicitors Irwin Mitchell, which represented Mr Gardner in his compensation claim, said many asbestos-related claims take a long time to settle because it can be difficult to track down the insurers of the company the employee worked for.
He said: “Even if the company admits responsibility, if there is no insurance there is no redress, which is grossly unfair.
“Finding the company is the easy bit but if we can’t find the insurers it slows the whole thing down. A large number of people will continue to go uncompensated unless the insurance industry steps in or a Government scheme is introduced to help them.
“There are more than 200,000 people living with mesothelioma across the UK and jobs traditionally associated with it include plumbing, construction and joinery work – with those most at risk now in their 50s and 60s..
“But in the cases where plural plaques develop people are not being compensated. The risks of them developing anything more serious is small but still a concern they have to live with.
“The House of Commons is in discussions at the moment about overturning the decision, but unless the law changes they can’t claim until their condition worsens.”
