Former rail workers who now suffer with pleural plaques, a condition caused by the inhalation of asbestos dust, are eligible to collect £5,000 in compensation according to a report in the Swindon Advertiser.
The compensation payment scheme had previously been put on hold by the House of Lords but the Ministry of Justice has now announced that sufferers are entitled to claim compensation at a flat rate of £5,000.
Pleural Plaques is a condition where scarring of the lungs occurs after the inhalation of asbestos fibres. Although the condition is symptomless, anyone diagnosed with pleural plaques will have been exposed to asbestos dust, and this can lead to more serious conditions such as Mesothelioma – a deadly form of lung cancer.
Numerous claims are expected to be lodged in the Swindon area, as many workers could have been exposed whilst working on the local railway. A total of 137 people died from Mesothelioma in the Swindon area during the period 1981-2005 and many of these were former railway employees.
To be eligible for the compensation, claimants must have started a claim before October 17 2007 and applications from people who have the condition must be made before August 1 2011.
