Mesothelioma UK
The national charity for people affected by mesothelioma. Specialist nurses provide free, confidential information and support across the UK by phone and email, and through clinical nurse specialists embedded in NHS trusts.
You are in the right place.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, or pleural thickening — or if you know you have been exposed to asbestos and are not sure what comes next — this page is for you. The information here is short and plain. Every section links to a primary source — HSE, NHS, or Mesothelioma UK — so you can read further when you are ready. There is no rush.
A short, plain explanation
Below is the minimum we think it’s worth knowing. Each subsection is short and links to a primary source if you want to read further when you’re ready.
What asbestos is
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring mineral fibres that were widely used in UK construction from the late 19th century. Three forms were used: chrysotile (white), amosite (brown), and crocidolite (blue). Imports peaked in the 1970s. All three forms were banned in the UK by 1999 — but asbestos-containing materials installed before then are still present in an estimated 1.5 million UK buildings.
Where you may have been exposed
Asbestos was used in pipe lagging, boiler insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, asbestos cement (sheets, gutters, soil pipes), brake linings, and sprayed coatings. The highest-exposure trades include shipbuilding, construction, plumbing, electrical work, boilermaking, and railway engineering. Schools, hospitals, factories, and public buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may still contain asbestos materials — and people who worked in them, lived near them, or grew up with relatives who brought fibres home on their clothes can all have been exposed.
What it can cause
Asbestos exposure can cause four main illnesses:
- Mesothelioma — a cancer of the lining of the lungs (pleural) or abdomen (peritoneal). Almost always caused by asbestos exposure.
- Asbestosis — scarring of the lung tissue.
- Asbestos-related lung cancer.
- Pleural thickening — non-cancerous scarring of the lining of the lungs.
Why now, when exposure was decades ago
Mesothelioma typically takes 30 to 50 years to develop after exposure. Many people diagnosed today were exposed at work in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. The legal time limit for bringing a civil claim is generally three years — but the clock starts from the date you knew (or should reasonably have known) that asbestos caused your illness, not from the date of exposure. There is usually time to act, and time to think.
Look up an employer
If you remember the name of an employer where you might have been exposed — even from decades ago, even if the company no longer exists by that name — AsbestosIQ can show you what is on the public record: regulator findings, press coverage, case law, Companies House identity, and the modern successor company.
You do not have to do this on your own.
The UK asbestos victim-support panels offer free, confidential one-to-one help — benefits and welfare advice, signposting to specialist solicitors, and someone to talk to. Coordinated by the Asbestos Support Forum.
London Asbestos Support Awareness Group
London-based support group for people diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and their families. Provides one-to-one support, benefits and welfare guidance, and signposting to specialist legal advice.
Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group
Support group covering Greater Manchester. Helps people pursue welfare benefits and compensation claims, and runs awareness work on continuing asbestos exposure in schools and public buildings.
HASAG Asbestos Disease Support
Southampton-based support group covering the South and South East of England. One-to-one support, benefits guidance, and an asbestos-awareness programme in local workplaces and schools.
A few practical steps, in roughly the order they help.
Speak to a specialist nurse
Mesothelioma UK has nurses embedded in NHS trusts across the UK. They will help you understand your diagnosis, what your treatment options are, and what to expect — for free, by phone or in person. More about Mesothelioma UK.
Find your local support group
The regional panels are charities run by people who have been through this themselves. They will help you with welfare benefits, signposting, and practical things — like making sure you are not paying for travel to hospital appointments.
Document your work history when you are ready
A rough list of where you worked, when, and what you did is enough to start. Names of supervisors, products you remember, sites you visited. Family members and old workmates can fill in gaps. Your support group will help you do this.
Speak to a specialist solicitor in your own time
The legal time limits run from when you knew asbestos caused your illness, not from when you were exposed — so there is usually time. Your support group can refer you to a panel firm. The first conversation is free. Plain-English guide to finding a regulated solicitor.
Take care of yourself
A diagnosis is exhausting. The administrative side — letters, appointments, forms — can be more tiring than the medical side. Pace yourself. Accept help. The Samaritans are on 116 123 if any of it gets too much.
For the people around you
If a partner, parent, child, or close friend wants to support you through this, they can use the same support groups. The regional panels listed at /panels welcome family members and bereaved relatives. Mesothelioma UK’s helpline is open to families too.