A SCOTTISH charity has raised concerns after it emerged the number of hospital admissions in Scotland for asbestos-related conditions has increased by one-third in five years.
Asbestos Action Tayside (AAT), who work with victims of asbestos-exposure and their families, has urged people with concerns about their exposure to asbestos to seek support immediately.
The number of deaths recorded caused by asbestos related conditions increased by 10% in the same period.
The charity said if the trend continues, asbestos-related deaths could overtake the number of road deaths in Scotland.
The figures published in response to a Scottish Parliament written question from Labour MSP Siobhan McMahon MSP shows there were 1952 hospital admissions due to asbestos-related conditions in 2011-12, 477 more than in 2006-07. The number of deaths from asbestos-related conditions was up 14 in the same period.
AAT general manager Alison Blake fears people suffering from asbestos-related conditions are not accessing the support available to them.
She said: "An increasing number of people have to face up to the harsh reality of a lingering death sentence simply because of the work they may have undertaken many years ago."
In 2011 the UK Supreme Court threw out a bid by insurance firms to strike down a Holyrood law giving Scots with asbestos-scarred lungs a right to sue, paving the way for more actions.
But Ms Blake said: "Of particular concern is that there may be a number of people diagnosed with pleural plaques who, because they don't experience any obvious incapacity, do not access the wider support services available, including legal services.
"These individuals are therefore not made aware of their rights to pursue a legal claim in Scotland, or the fact that if they fail to do so within three years of diagnosis, they may be subsequently time barred and prevented from pursuing a legal remedy, even if a more serious asbestos related condition is diagnosed."
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