Asbestos victims in the United Kingdom are urging insurers to donate money to research asbestos-related diseases. The victims argue that many insurance giants have not been forced to pay out to asbestos sufferers because they received compensation from the government instead. The victims believe that insurance companies ought to donate the money they did not pay out to mesothelioma research. Legal experts estimate that the insurance industry may have saved as much as £14 million (nearly $23 million) over the years.
Protesters circled outside of the Association of British Insurers yesterday in order to raise awareness for their idea. The protesters hope that if the insurance industry does donate money for asbestos-related disease research, a cure could be found. At the very least, they hope to alleviate the suffering of future victims and their families. Tony Whitston, of the Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum, thinks that if the insurers refuse to donate funds to research, they are despicable. "It was within the rules but it was wrong. The insurance industry saved millions of pounds in compensation that was instead paid by taxpayers. They should do the decent thing and donate this money to researching ways to help future victims of the asbestos time bomb."
Deaths from asbestos-related diseases throughout the UK rise each year, and are soon expected to hit 6,000 deaths per year. The number of fatalities stemming from asbestos-related diseases in the UK is not expected to start decline until 2030, according to health reports.