Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Asbestos definition

What does Asbestos mean? In legal practice, asbestos refers to a group of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals present in many pre‑2000 buildings and industrial installations; when disturbed, they release respirable fibres that can cause serious illness, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and pleural thickening. The term is used across health and safety, construction, property and personal injury. It is defined in legislation: in Great Britain by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, in Northern Ireland by the Control of Asbestos Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, and in Ireland by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006–2010. Key legal features include...

Medical and litigation aspects of asbestos disease: exposure, conditions, therapies, recoverability of treatment costs, periodical payments orders, and medical evidence

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Practice notes

This Practice Note outlines the various Asbestos types, ways in which exposure occurs, and the principal asbestos-related illnesses. It also examines advances in therapies, including immunotherapy for Mesothelioma, the potential to recover the expense of such interventions, and the deployment of periodical payments orders. Further, it supplies practical guidance on securing medical evidence. For those pursuing Personal injury actions for claimants who have developed disease from asbestos exposure, a clear understanding of the material and the severe, often terminal, conditions suffered by the exposed is indispensable.

Types of asbestos

Asbestos is a collective label for six naturally occurring silicate minerals made up of long, slender, fibrous crystals. During the 1970s and 1980s it was mined on a large scale in numerous countries worldwide, with Canada and South Africa as leading producers. In its different forms, asbestos was widely employed across industry and construction until the 1980s. Its ubiquity stemmed from desirable characteristics, such as sound insulation and resistance to flame, heat, and electricity...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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