Compensation for death from asbestos

This paper analyzes the adequacy and equity of compensation to the survivors of 560 men who died between 1967 and 1977 from workplace exposure to asbestos. Data were gathered in interviews with the men's widows, who received compensation primarily from workers' compensation, social insurance, private pensions, and tort awards and settlements. The results show that compensation was neither adequate in amount, when compared to income losses, nor equitably distributed among survivors. The authors use their findings to evaluate one of the recent bills before Congress that would institute a federal system of compensation for asbestos-related deaths.