Strong increase in number of recognised asbestos victims

The Belgian Asbestos Fund, created by the federal government to compensate sufferers of asbestos-related conditions, recognised 292 victims of mesothelioma last year. That is the highest number since the foundation of the fund in 2007 and 60% more compared to 2014.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by asbestos exposure that affects the thin cell wall lining of internal organs. “Asbestos-related cancer has an incubation period of 30 to 40 years, and asbestos was used in buildings until the 1980s, so that’s perhaps why there is a peak now,” said Alexander Van de Sand, spokesperson of the Asbestos Fund. “We expect to see the number of recognised victims decrease drastically by the period 2025 to 2030.”

Apart from patients with mesothelioma, the fund also in 2015 recognised 43 people with asbestosis and diffuse pleural thickening, two other asbestos-related conditions. This number has remained stable in the last five years.

In 2014, victims were compensated €11.8 million in total. It’s not yet been made public how much compensation the fund provided in 2015.