Asbestos Litigation

Ireland's State Claims Agency has confirmed that there have been 12 recent instances of asbestos claims made by people in the country who fear they were exposed to the dangerous mineral in public places, the Irish Times reports.

Since the agency was established a decade ago, there has been €217,000 in settlements paid out to plaintiffs filing claims related to asbestos exposure, the news provider said.

Additionally, there have been approximately 520 asbestos "worried well" claims, which typically involve people who have not been physically harmed by asbestos but have suffered from anxiety as a result exposure in publicly-owned properties. The majority of these cases either failed or were dismissed, according to the news source.

A spokeswoman for the agency said that such lawsuits being discontinued made the plaintiffs "liable for the State's costs," meaning a "substantial sum of money...has been recovered and refunded to the State."

Exposure to asbestos has been proven to cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.