MESOTHELIOMA CLAIM FAILS ON EXPOSURE LEVELS

[A RECENT ‘Case of Note’ described by NHS Resolution has highlighted the complexities in pinpointing responsibility for contracting mesothelioma –the cancer caused by asbestos exposure which is invariably fatal.

The case was that of a Mr White, who died on 8 April 2020 from mesothelioma at the age of 87. His estate claimed that his death had been caused through wrongful exposure to asbestos dust while working at Sefton General Hospital in Liverpool between 1949 and 1960, when he was a junior laboratory technician, and between 1973 and 1992, when he worked as a senior biochemist. The Secretary of State was the defendant, having inherited liabilities from bodies running Sefton Hospital at the relevant times.