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Asbestos-related disease

Support and advice for you
and your family

How we can support you

The Clydebank Asbestos Group provides help, support and advice to those affected by an asbestos-related disease and their families.


We can advise you on your rights regarding state benefits and civil compensation.


If you or a family member have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease please get in touch, we are happy to visit you at home.

About us

The Clydebank Asbestos Group is a volunteer organisation that was set up in 1992 to help provide support, advice and information for victims of asbestos and their families.

We depend on donations to allow us to continue doing our work supporting people with an asbestos related illness, if you can support us please click the button below to donated via justgiving - thank you!

ASBESTOS AND CLYDEBANK

Scotland has had a long association with the asbestos industry. Scottish entrepreneurs were among the pioneers in developing the manufacture of asbestos products, with the first companies appearing in the 1870s. One account suggests that it was two Scottish businessmen who first introduced the mineral to the United Kingdom, establishing the Patent Asbestos Manufacturing Company in Glasgow to process asbestos, imported initially from Canada in 1871.

CLYDEBANK MEMORIAL

In 2014 Clydebank Asbestos Group commissioned Jephson Robb, an internationally recognised artist, to design a memorial as a tribute to all those members, known and unknown, who have died of an asbetos-related disease.

 

The memorial is an impressive feature in the heart of the town centre and was unveiled on 30th May 2015 by Fiona Maguire, the widow of Frank Maguire, an iconic figure in the fight for Truth and Justice.

Asbestos-related diseases

There are several different kinds of diseases that are related to previous exposure to asbestos fibres, and they can be categorised in various ways. Some are malignant or cancerous - such as mesothelioma and lung cancer - others such as asbestosis, pleural plaques, diffuse pleural fibrosis are considered benign. Conditions such as lung cancer and mesothelioma can be severely disabling.

Some of these conditions are very clearly and directly attributable to exposure to asbestos, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. For others, such as gastro-intestinal tract cancers, the causal connection to asbestos exposure is one that appears probable but has not yet been proven with certainty.

Each of these asbestos-related diseases can only be diagnosed through medical examinations and tests. If you were exposed to asbestos it does not mean that you therefore must have, or will have, an asbestos-caused disease. But it does mean that you should be vigilant about your health, receive regular medical care and checkups and tell your doctor about your asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs, and can be called malignant pleural mesothelioma. The disease can also affect the lining of the stomach and when it does it is known as peritoneal mesothelioma.

Lung Cancer

Exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing lung cancer. A very important point is that asbestos exposure and smoking act together to produce a huge increase in risk of lung cancer in people exposed to both hazards.

Pleural Plaques

Pleural plaques are the most common sign of asbestos exposure.  Pleural Plaques are a scarring of the outer lining of the lung but are not dangerous and in most cases do not cause any harm or symptoms.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a type of fibrosis or scarring of the lungs caused by asbestos fibres which have been lodged in the lungs after inhalation. Asbestosis particularly affects people who have breathed in substantial amounts of asbestos dust.

Pleural Thickening

The pleura consists of a double layered membrane which surrounds the lungs and lines the inside of the rib cage. Certain asbestos fibres inhaled into the lungs manipulate their way out to the pleura and can cause fibrosis or scarring to occur there.

Claiming compensation for your asbestos-related condition

If you, or a member of your family, have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition you are entitled to compensation if you were exposed to asbestos at work, even if your employer has now gone out of business.

 

Clydebank Asbestos Group can help you get the one to one specialist legal advice you need from a solicitor with the experience in dealing with asbestos compensation claims.

 

If you are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, it is important that you seek legal advice as soon as possible to protect your legal right to compensation.

Benefits you may be entitled to

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition you are entitled to claim certain government benefits. The benefits system is very complicated and changes all the time.  Clydebank Asbestos Group can help you find out what you are entitled to as well as helping fill out any forms.

CONTACT US

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