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Perchlorate Exposure Claims

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

Perchlorates

Illnesses Caused by Perchlorates
Perchlorate Exposure
Making an Industrial Illness Claim
Perchlorate Injury Compensation
Specialist Claim Advice

Perchlorates

Perchlorates are colourless, water soluble salts with no odour.  They occur both naturally and as a product of industry. 

They can be found in rocket fuel and explosives, including fireworks and the inflation systems of airbags, and also in fertilisers.

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Illnesses Caused by Perchlorates

Those most vulnerable to the effects of perchlorate exposure are women of child bearing age and foetuses, as they can cause birth defects. 

Perchlorates can also affect the thyroid gland as they are a neurotoxin, sometimes encouraging tumours to grow.

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Perchlorate Exposure

Exposure can occur in a number of ways, for example through working conditions or due to contaminated water.

If an exposure occurs at work, your employer may be liable as they have a duty to protect their employees and the public.  Regulations such as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 apply.  Employers are required to carry out risk assessments and eliminate or reduce the health risks from exposure at source. As a last resort, employers must provide employees with personal protective breathing equipment once all other protective measures have been exhausted.

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Making an Industrial Illness Claim

If you believe that you are suffering an illness or injury as a result of exposure to perchlorates, 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 perchlorates, it may still be possible to make a claim posthumously.

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Perchlorate Injury 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 wash your car, look after your garden, walk the dog, 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 exposure to perchlorate had never occurred.

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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 reviewing your case and working towards the best possible outcome.

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