Industry 'should do more to help asbestos victims get compensation'

The insurance industry should do more to help the victims of asbestos exposure get compensation.

This is according to the Co-operative Insurance, which said firms should get behind government proposals which would help such people secure money for their suffering.

It noted that it can take a long time for the physical symptoms of exposure to the insulating material to manifest, meaning it is hard for individuals to bring those responsible to account.

Therefore, cover providers need to work together to make sure that sufferers and their relatives can access money.

Head of general insurance at the Co-operative Insurance David Neave commented: "If a company's insurer proves impossible to trace, we believe that it is only fair and ethical for insurers to fund a pool enabling these victims to make a claim."

People who are exposed to asbestos can go on to develop a range of conditions, including mesothelioma, asbestosis and pleural plaques - which is a form of scarring of the outer lining of the lungs.