New figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have highlighted Plymouth as the UK's third worst hotspot for asbestos-related deaths.
The latest statistics revealed that 373 men in the City have died from mesothelioma - a cancer strongly associated with exposure to asbestos - between 1981 and 2005.
This figure makes Plymouth the UK's third largest cluster for these particular cancers, behind Leeds and Warrington.
The city's high asbestos death rate has been linked to the use of the material in the dockyard.
Andrew Stinchcombe, Industrial Disease Team Leader at Bond Pearce Solicitors, said: "The
amount of people who have died from mesothelioma in the Plymouth area in the last few decades is a national scandal.
"For many years these men were exposed to asbestos dust, usually at Devonport Dockyard, and would constantly be working with the dust and breathing it in on a daily basis.
"Unfortunately therefore it is not at all surprising that Plymouth is the UK's third worse hotspot for asbestos related deaths. In addition to the figures quoted by the HSE for mesothelioma, it should also not be forgotten that other asbestos related conditions can also result in fatalities."
He added that lung cancer might also be caused by asbestos exposure, although asbestos may not be identified as the cause of the cancer. This could result in missed compensation for victims.
"Mesothelioma is still regarded as an incurable disease and further funding and research is necessary to try to find a cure for this terrible disease," Andrew said.
