Asbestos in railways: the Taranto court condemns INAIL to recognize professional exposure of Pasquale Laperchia who died of mesothelioma
Ferrovie dello Stato’s formal notice of compensation for family members is underway
19 June 2024 – The Court of Taranto condemned INAIL to recognize the professional illness of Pasquale Laperchia who died from pleural mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos during his employment at the State Railways (now RFI SpA).
Laperchia, born and resident in Taranto, worked in the railways for 35 years as a maintenance worker. During this long period he was exposed to asbestos on a daily basis without adequate protective equipment. Before the introduction of Law 257/92 the mineral was widely used for various applications, in particular it was used to coat pipes, insulate thermal and acoustic systems, in brake seals and components. In July 2019 the man received the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma, a serious form of cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibres, and in 2020 he submitted an application to INAIL for recognition of the occupational disease which was rejected.
In 2021 his lawyer, the lawyer. Ezio Bonanni, President of the National Asbestos Observatory, filed an appeal, producing evidence of exposure to the killer fiber and the reports of the official technical consultant (CTU). During the trial that will prove him right, unfortunately, the man dies, he was 73 years old.
INAIL’s sentence establishes the professional recognition of the disease which will give the right to request compensation for damages from the family’s lawyer, lawyer. Ezio Bonanni, President of the National Asbestos Observatory, who has already issued a formal notice, for the amounts of 500 thousand euros first of all for the damage suffered by the man, and approximately a further 400 thousand for each of the two orphaned children, Dario and Igor, to which is also added the nephew, orphan of one of the daughters, adopted by his uncle for whom a further amount of 400 thousand euros was requested.
“This is yet another unacceptable mournful event that has destroyed a family, caused by the use of asbestos by the Railways, which not only delayed the reclamation, but also employed its employees in maintenance activities with asbestos” – he declares Bonanni, who reports – “in the VII ReNaM report, 696 cases of mesothelioma were recorded among FS employees, up to 2018 (date of the last survey), which constitute the tip of the iceberg, of an estimate which to date includes around a thousand cases of deaths from mesothelioma alone, with a mortality rate of 93%, to which must be added more than 1,800 deaths per k of the lung from asbestos. The overall number of deaths from asbestos-related diseases on the railways in Italy exceeds 4,000 cases.”
The ONA offers support and assistance to victims with a free service on the website https://www.observatorioamianto.it/, and/or with the toll-free number 800 034 294.
