March 27th, 2007

According to one prominent asbestos lawyer in the UK, victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases are getting younger. Asbestos related cancer and other health problems are typically associated with the older generation – those in their sixties upwards, who may have worked with asbestos before the dangers were widely known, and therefore without the necessary protection.

However, the asbestos lawyer, Geraldine Coombs, said that indirect exposure to asbestos – or secondary exposure – was now resulting in people of a far younger age being affected by this disease. Secondary exposure may have occurred, for example, through hugging a loved on who worked with asbestos and may have had asbestos dust and fibers on their clothing or skin.

One example used by Coombs was a twenty-six year-old woman with mesothelioma, who the lawyer is currently representing. This is thought to be the youngest victim of this cancer.

The lawyer stated: "We are seeing more cases involving indirect exposure to asbestos. For example, we are investigating the case of a lady of 26 who has mesothelioma which she believes traces back to the days when she took a short cut to school through a factory yard where asbestos sheets were being cut. We are also representing a nurse in her 40's who worked in a Tameside hospital where there was an asbestos removal programme. Historically, mesothelioma affected people in their 60s and 70s, but recently we have seen younger victims diagnosed, who were exposed to asbestos in unconventional ways."