Yesterday, a French court ordered papermaker Ahlstrom Labelpack to pay 85,000 euros ($133,800 USD) for lost earnings to 17 employees who had to retire early due to asbestos exposure, though none of the workers has developed an asbestos-related disease at this time.

According to a Reuters article, the company was ordered to pay between 9,000 and 85,000 euros to each employee for the loss of 35 percent of the men’s earnings, up to the legal retirement age. In addition, the company was told they must pay 10,000 euros to the workers for stress and anxiety, noting that the men are in constant fear that they will develop an asbestos-related disease, such as mesothelioma.

The article noted that compensation costs for asbestos-related diseases among French workers could total between 11.7-22 billion euros over the next 20 years.

It’s an important decision because it potentially concerns several tens of thousands of people,” said Jean-Paul Teissonniere, a lawyer for Andeva, an association representing asbestos victims.

He believes the ruling might finally encourage other affected workers who have delayed early retirement for financial reasons to now seek to leave the workforce. The former employees already receive benefits equal to 65 percent of their salaries from Acaata, a government-backed fund established to support workers forced to take early retirement because of asbestos exposure, the article points out.

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