Workers were also told that the alternative would be to try to and sue the company on their own but litigation could take up to 15 years. Since 2002, victims had been able to seek full compensation without proving which employer caused the fatal exposure. But in May the House of Lords decided that mesothelioma victims exposed to asbestos dust by several employers and their families must seek a proportionate share of compensation from each. It means that now sufferers of the less-harmful pleural plaques can't bring a claim but the Government is appealing against the Lords' ruling. | 
