On the 6th April, as part of Asbestos Awareness week, Dianne Foster from Asbestos Action joined the Industrial Disease Legal team from Digby Brown to walk an incredible 26 miles along the Fife Coastal path to raise funds for Asbestos Action.
The route between Leven and Rosyth commemorates those who died after being exposed to asbestos at work sites along the route, now known as notorious exposure sites, including the oil rig construction yard in Methil and shipbuilders in Burntisland and Rosyth.
The walkers were also joined by Jan Fury, who lost her son to mesothelioma. She said: “I know first-hand the importance of efforts like this walk because towards the end of my son’s life I had no idea what to do, where to turn and how to act.
“But Asbestos Action guided me through everything and still offer friendship to this day and the fact that people still champion this cause makes me feel so humbled.”
The team managed to raise an amazing £8,000 for Asbestos Action. Dianne Foster said:
“The walk had its challenges in the form of sore bones and blisters, but it’s nothing compared to what our clients and their families go through every day. “We’re delighted to have raised such a great sum and would like to thank those who took part in the walk and to everyone else who selflessly donated to the cause.”
Asbestos-related diseases are caused by exposure to asbestos fibres which thousands of workers were exposed to. Up until the late 1970s, asbestos was widely used in heavy industries such as shipbuilding but employers failed to provide the correct safety equipment or breathing apparatus to protect workers from exposure to asbestos fibres.
It can take decades after asbestos exposure before victims begin to see symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain and persistent coughing. These harmful fibres can lead to benign conditions such as pleural plaques, where the lining of the lungs calcify or terminal cancers like mesothelioma which can prove to be fatal just weeks after being diagnosed.
Today asbestos related conditions are responsible for around 3,000 deaths in the UK each year. This is more than the number of people killed on the roads.
Fraser Simpson, Partner and Head of Digby Brown’s Industrial Disease department said: “I have fought for countless individuals and their families over the years but it’s the personal impact each person has had on me as a person which inspired me to take part in this walk.
“Digby Brown understand that diagnosis of an asbestos related disease can be difficult for the sufferers and their families. The support provided by Asbestos Action is essential to these families and we are proud to be able to support such a worthy cause.”
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