Plymouth Sutton MP Linda Gilroy will today chair a Parliamentary meeting on the issue of work-related asbestos diseases.

It will include discussion of mesothelioma, a form of cancer that affects the lining of the chest and sometimes the abdomen, which is caused through exposure to asbestos and has no known cure.

Plymouth is a hotspot for asbestos related deaths, many of them former workers in the dockyard. 

The meeting will include briefs on the work of Mesothelioma UK; how to improve outcomes for patients suffering from mesothelioma; the current challenges that exist for UK medical researcher; the vexed question of compensation; and an update on the Parliamentary side.

The meeting is organised by the Asbestos Sub-Committee of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, which is made up of MPs and Peers from all political parties.

It exists to keep issue of asbestos high on the national agenda; to share common problems and solutions; and to examine UK asbestos developments in light of news from the abroad.

Linda Gilroy said “Having worked with local groups on this issue in Plymouth, I am pleased to now be involved in this national forum”

“I hope the meeting will provide an update on the issues and efforts associated with asbestos. I’m particularly looking forward to hearing about the efforts of medical researchers”

14 May 2008