[miningmx.com] – RICHARD Meeran, a lawyer for US attorney Leigh Day, called on the mining industry to adopt an industry-wide scheme to settle the claims of miners who say they contracted silicosis while working underground.
In a report by AFP, a newswire service, Meeran said: “”We urge the gold mining companies to establish an industry-wide settlement scheme without delay.
Meeran’s comments follow a ‘landmark’ settlement with Anglo American and 23 individual claims from miners suffering, or who had died, from silicosis. Anglo American said the settlement, which was confidential, was not an admission of liability.
Silicosis is an often fatal lung disease that is contracted after breathing silica dust for a prolonged period.
“This is the first gold miners’ silicosis settlement in South Africa,” Leigh Day said in a statement. “Today’s settlement gives a significant boost to silicosis victims’ quest for an industry-wide settlement scheme,” it said.
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