Asbestos diseases and compensation

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos diseases and compensation, by L. Arblaster, P. Hatton, M.S. Schweiger, et al (BMJ, 1990).

The study

• Authors: L. Arblaster, P. Hatton, M.S. Schweiger, E.R. Renvoize, D. Howel
• Journal: BMJ
• Published: 1990;301(6760):1101
• Type of article: Letter, Comment
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 003726).

In plain English

This was a letter to the BMJ responding to Professor Anthony Seaton's article on asbestos diseases and compensation. The authors, from the University of Leeds, reported figures from their study of mesothelioma deaths in Leeds, 1971 to 1987. There were 180 such deaths (125 men, 55 women). Mesothelioma was recorded on the death certificate in 154 (109 men, 45 women). Coroner's inquests were held in 121 (91 men, 30 women), though for one woman it could not be determined whether an inquest took place; 11 (5 men, 6 women) had a necropsy (post-mortem examination) but no inquest. No inquest was held for four people (two men, two women) who had worked in an asbestos factory. Fourteen of the 180 had developed mesothelioma through indirect exposure from a relative or close associate who had worked with asbestos. The authors noted that such people were not entitled to industrial injuries benefit. The authors said their study supported Seaton's assertions and that the inquest is important. They also said equity demands some form of benefit for indirectly exposed people.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Letter to the editor reporting summary figures from the authors' own study of mesothelioma deaths in Leeds
• Who was studied: 180 deaths due to mesothelioma in Leeds, 1971 to 1987 (125 men, 55 women)
• Exposure: Asbestos exposure. Four of the deceased had worked in an asbestos factory, and 14 were exposed indirectly through a relative or close associate who had worked with asbestos. No fiber types were named.
• Main results:
  • Men: 125 deaths, 109 with mesothelioma recorded on the death certificate, 91 coroner's inquests held, 5 necropsy but no inquest, 13 other
  • Women: 55 deaths, 45 with mesothelioma recorded on the death certificate, 30 coroner's inquests held, 6 necropsy but no inquest, 8 other
  • Total: 180 deaths, 154 with mesothelioma recorded on the death certificate, 121 coroner's inquests held, 11 necropsy but no inquest, 21 other
  • For one woman it could not be determined whether an inquest had taken place
  • No inquest was held for four patients (two men, two women) who had worked in an asbestos factory
  • 14 of the 180 mesothelioma cases followed indirect exposure through a relative or close associate. The authors argued that equity demands such people be entitled to some form of benefit.
  • People indirectly exposed in this way were not entitled to any industrial injuries benefit at the time of writing
• The authors' conclusion: The authors stated that they believe the coroner's inquest is important

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• A guide to compensation for asbestos-related diseases — M.G. Britton, D.T. Hughes, et al. (1981)
• Compensation for asbestos-related diseases--the U.K. model — M. Britton (1989)
• Asbestos diseases and compensation — A. Seaton (1990)
• Lump sum compensation for asbestos related lung disease — T. Williams, P. Slade, et al. (1998)
• Asbestos diseases and compensation — D.H. Yates (1990)
• Workers' compensation for nonmalignant asbestos-related lung disease — C. Nevitt, W. Daniell, et al. (1994)

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