Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive has finally released the shocking statistics behind the country’s rate of mesothelioma incidence. Mesothelioma is a rare and terminal cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major organs and cavities that is caused almost exclusively by prolonged asbestos exposure. According to the newly released figures, at least 5,000 deaths from mesothelioma a year are expected by 2015. This is surprisingly higher than the numbers released by Washington, D.C., placing the number of cases of malignant mesothelioma cases detected each year in the U.S. at 3,000.
According to U.K. experts almost every building erected in the country prior to 1999 will have used asbestos in its construction. This means that even the simplest renovation or repair projects can lead to the creation of a potentially hazardous situation. Whenever asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, they are likely to release microscopic, carcinogenic asbestos fibers into the air. These fibers can then be inhaled by anyone in the vicinity, ultimately lodging in the lungs and contributing to the development of pleural mesothelioma – which affects the lining of the lungs – over several decades.
Two of the names most closely linked to the tragedy of mesothelioma in Britain, are those of Chris and Mick Knighton. Mick was exposed to asbestos while in the Royal Navy. “The helmet he was first issued with as a gunner and the gauntlets given to him were all made of asbestos,” says Chris, Mick’s widow. “When the Navy realized all the ships were riddled with asbestos, they had them refitted, but the crews helped rip out the piping and bits which were to be removed. They didn’t wear the proper protective clothing, they just got on with the job and many, many of them in effect condemned themselves to death in the process. While the Royal Navy freely admits this is where Mick was exposed to asbestos and that it led to his developing mesothelioma, no one can sue the Crown, so he wasn’t entitled to any compensation.”
Since Mick’s death of naval-related mesothelioma ten years ago at the age of 60, Chris has managed to raise £1million for the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund.
This entry was posted on Monday, August 1st, 2011 at 9:42 am and is filed under News.
Rega recently completed a 96-month overhaul of its fleet of Challenger CL604 fixed-wing aircraft, including an update of the onboard medical equipment and new exterior paintwork. After eight years of performing repatriation flights, the three ambulance jets were required to undergo comprehensive checks and maintenance work. This major overhaul was completed according to plan within just four weeks per aircraft and without operations being substantially restricted.
The UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) has released new figures that show the number of UK travellers found to be suffering from dengue fever has more than doubled in the past year. In 2009, there were 166 cases of imported dengue fever among travellers, while in 2010 the number rose to 406. Of the total number of cases reported in the UK, the highest proportion was associated with people who had travelled to India, with 21 per cent of the cases, and a further 15 per cent of cases were in people who had been travelling in Thailand.
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) has welcomed the UK Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) guidance consultation for insurance comparison websites. The FSA has stated that it has found failures to comply with its rules, which could result in the consumer not being treated fairly.
European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC), which many travellers within the European Union rely on to receive free or reduced-price healthcare while they are abroad, have a five-year shelf life, and as they were introduced in 2006, many of the people who initially applied for the cards and received them in that year risk carrying invalid cards on their summer holidays this year.
A recent report from UK consumer organisation Which? has found that older travellers are still finding it difficult to find appropriate and affordable travel insurance, despite some companies taking the upper age limit off their policies.
International Passenger Protection (IPP), a provider of financial insurance solutions to the UK travel trade, has said that the recent Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) reform consultation paper, issued by the Department of Transport, highlights the gap in consumer protection under the government scheme, even after the proposed extension in cover. The reform, which is targeted to be introduced at the start of next year, is estimated to leave over half of travellers from the UK remaining unprotected, which equates to tens of millions of travellers that would be financial exposed during what is an extremely volatile time in the industry. Tickets purchased directly with airlines, UK trips, and non-air travel (such as car ferries), are just three of the significant travel groups that remain outside the protection in the proposals.
A team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in the US has called for new competencies and training for flight nurses, as the number of flights and complexity of cases handled continues to increase. Andrew Reimer, a flight nurse, and Shirley Moore, associate dean of research at the University’s School of Nursing, have outlined their goals for new training in the Journal of Advanced Nursing in an article entitled Flight Nursing Expertise: Towards a Middle-Range Theory.
The ongoing issue of unpaid claims arising from the Icelandic volcanic ash eruption of April 2010 is not yet put to bed, as Europ Assistance in the UK has now launched a legal challenge against the country’s Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). In March this year, the FOS ruled that travel insurers should base their decision on whether or not to pay out for volcanic ash cloud claims on a key ruling that earlier found in favour of the consumer, when the FOS concluded that the ash cloud was in fact a ‘weather’ event, and therefore insurers should pay out on claims received that were related to delays and cancellations that occurred as a result of closed airspace over Europe. Although many insurers accepted that decision and paid out on claims, Europ Assistance is now challenging it by asking for a judicial review to take place. The company still reportedly has 300 customers who are waiting to see if their claims will be paid, all of whom will now have to wait for the court to decide their fate.
Just as the ash from the Icelandic Grimsvotn volcano was settling, the Chilean Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle range of volcanoes got in on the act, sending ash and debris thousands of metres into the air. The resulting ash cloud prompted the closure of airports across South America, including the suspension of flights to and from Buenos Aires and disruptions to flights in Santiago. Winds blew the ash further afield, with subsequent closure of airports in Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, before the wind changed direction and affected flights in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The latest research from Finaccord, Travel Metrics in Europe, gives details of how last year’s Icelandic eruption affected the rate of travel insurance claims in 2010. Mandy Aitchison delves into the report for more information