TARANTO – The Court of Taranto has 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). The National Asbestos Observatory reports this, underlining how the conviction establishes the professional recognition of the disease and gives the right to request compensation for damages.
The family’s lawyer, Ezio Bonanni, president of the National Asbestos Observatory, has already issued the formal notice: 500 thousand euros for the damage suffered by the man, and approximately a further 400 thousand for each of the two orphaned sons, 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.
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. 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 appealed but during the trial the man died. He was 73 years old.
