CLASS ACTION

摘要

More than 300 former coke oven workers are taking legal action against British Steel and British Coal for cancers and respiratory diseases they are suffering due to alleged exposure to harmful dust and fumes decades ago when working at coal pits and steel plants. A High Court judgment in 2012 against the Phurnacite plant in South Wales paved the way for the current legal action.The Court ruled that lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could be caused by exposure to dust and chemicals at the former coke works in the Cynon Valley. It held that there was convincing evidence that diseases of the lung -namely COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer-could be caused by the processes at the plant. Compensation averaging £44,000 was agreed for four successful claimants.