Asbestos Legislation

A Wearside, UK family has reportedly received asbestos compensation following the malignant mesothelioma death of a former shipyard worker, the Sunderland Echo reports.

According to the news source, Ted Hall died at the age of 80 only a few months after being diagnosed with the rare and deadly cancer. Hall was reportedly exposed as an apprentice and joiner while he worked at the Hudson Dock and Pallion Yard, the news source said.

Hall, a father of two, claimed he was never warned of the potential dangers of being exposed to asbestos and his employers never provided him with any protection from the dangerous mineral fibers.

"Ted was exposed to asbestos when he was just a teenager and, as a result, mesothelioma took his life," his wife Patricia said in a statement. "It was important to the family to make sure that someone took responsibility for his painful death."

In addition to mesothelioma, asbestos exposure has been linked to asbestosis and lung cancer. All told, such illnesses claim the lives of approximately 107,000 people around the world each year, according to the World Health Organization.