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Silicosis

If you or a member of your family is suffering from silicosis, our specialist personal injury lawyers may be able to help you claim compensation. Contact us today on 0800 032 8511 for claim advice, or by completing a claim enquiry form.

What is Silicosis?
Who is Affected by Silicosis?
Claiming Compensation
Silicosis Compensation
Specialist Industrial Disease Advice

What is Silicosis?

Silicosis is an industrial disease that is caused by the inhalation of certain levels of silica dust. It causes the tissue of a person’s lungs to become scarred, making them function less efficiently. There are three forms, acute, chronic and accelerated, which occur through different intensities of exposure.

Acute silicosis is caused by intense exposure over a relatively short period of time. In acute silicosis cases the lungs of the sufferer can become scarred and inflamed and may fill with fluid, causing severe breathing difficulty.

Accelerated silicosis mostly occurs following exposure to fairly high levels of silica dust, most often over a period of less than 15 years. With this condition the symptoms develop quickly and, as with the other forms, scarring of the lungs occurs.

Chronic Silicosis is the most common form of the disease, usually occurring following prolonged exposure to silica over many years. In chronic silicosis, the chest becomes inflamed, causing nodules and scarring to the lungs and causing the afflicted person to suffer breathlessness and coughing.

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Who is Affected by Silicosis?

As silicosis is a disease that commonly presents symptoms some time after the exposure to silica dust has occurred, it most frequently affects people over the age of 40, however this is not always the case.

Generally, those affected have been employed at some stage in their lives in industries dealing with stone, sand or glass (such as mining, stonework, glass production and sand blasting), as silica is a naturally occurring mineral that is present in certain types of rock.

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Claiming Compensation

It may be possible to make a personal injury claim for compensation if you are suffering from silicosis caused by a current or former employer. These type of diseases do not show themselves quickly after exposure. They can take many years to develop. By then the person you need to make a claim against (perhaps an employer) may no longer be alive or in business. Pursuing these claims is complicated and is best dealt with by an experienced personal injury lawyer.

In every case, medical evidence will be required. Detailed expert evidence is often also required in disease cases to show that the condition suffered by a claimant was caused by exposure to a particular substance.

In any personal injury claim it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (were negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence.

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Silicosis Compensation

There are two elements to a compensation award. The first is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and what is known as loss of amenity. This is called general damages and can include an award for your inability to do things that you used to be able to do before (eg drive, look after your garden, play sports etc). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.

The second element of a compensation award is for your losses and expenses and is known as special damages. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to your illness, so that these can be reclaimed. The aim is to put you back in a position financially as if the silicosis had never occurred.

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Specialist Industrial Disease Advice

At The Legal Line, our lawyers are experienced in all areas of industrial disease, including recovering compensation for silicosis sufferers, so can provide you with specialist assistance and guidance in pursuing your claim.

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