BBC pays out £1.64m in damages for asbestos cancer deaths
The BBC has paid £1.64m in asbestos damages after 11 former staff died of cancer after working in the broadcaster’s buildings.
According to reports by the Observer, the BBC has made the payouts to families of make-up artists, engineers, riggers, set builders, studio managers and television producers, who all worked across different BBC productions across the country.
The former staff 11 died of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by extended exposure to asbestos.
Following a freedom of information request, it was revealed that it had paid £1,637,501 in compensation over the last decade to settle claims involving the nine unnamed men and two women, who worked for it between 1959 and 1998.
The Observer reported last year how the family of Christopher Larkin, a horn player with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBCSO) who died of mesothelioma, were suing the BBC. The BBC admitted liability for the musician’s death and an inquest found he “died from the consequences of exposure to asbestos”.