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Compensation Claims for MTBE Exposure

If you are suffering from an illness or disease caused by MTBE, you may be entitled to claim compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers can provide expert claim advice and assistance, so contact us on 0800 032 8511 or by completing a claim enquiry form.

What is MTBE?
Claiming MTBE Exposure Compensation
Compensation for MTBE Related Illnesses
Specialist Claim Advice

What is MTBE?

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether, or MTBE, is a flammable liquid that is used as an additive in unleaded petrol to reduce emission levels. It is also used in medicine to dissolve gallstones.

MTBE has on occasions leaked into water systems from storage tanks and pipelines, and contaminated drinking water.

High levels of MTBE can be harmful to humans, causing problems ranging from minor nose and throat irritations, to headaches, nausea and vomiting. Prolonged exposure has the potential to cause kidney problems and possibly even cancer.

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Claiming MTBE Exposure Compensation

If you believe that you are suffering an illness or personal injury as a result of exposure to MTBE, the first and most important step is to seek medical attention. 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.

If a family member has died from a disease caused by exposure to MTBE, it may still be possible to make a claim posthumously.

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Compensation for MTBE Related Illnesses

There are two elements to a compensation award.

The first, called general damages, is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and any loss of amenity (perhaps an inability to wash your car, look after your garden, walk the dog). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.

Whereas the first element of compensation, the general damages, cannot make you better and can only really apologise, the second element of a compensation award, for your losses and expenses, (known as special damages) aims to put you back in a position financially as if the exposure to MTBE had never occurred. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to your illness so that these can be reclaimed.

In serious cases, where a person is no longer able to, say, continue their employment, the loss of wages can be claimed. Even if they can work, if they cannot do so in the same role as before, particularly if they held a public service role such as a doctor or police officer, an extra amount may be awarded for loss of ‘congenial employment'. Costs for care, equipment, transport and housing modifications can also be claimed if they are related to the accident. A court can also make a financial award to recognise that an injured worker's prospects on the open labour market may be limited.

If a person is fatally injured by MTBE, a dependent relative such as a widow and children may be able to claim a statutory sum for their bereavement and funeral expenses, In addition sums for the loss of income and contribution to the household in the form of future losses can be claimed.

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Specialist Claim Advice

 
At The Legal Line, our lawyers specialise in all areas of personal injury, including claims for industrial diseases and illnesses caused by exposure to hazardous substances.  They can provide expert advice and assistance in assessing your case and help you to achieve the best possible outcome.

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