Carcinogenic exposure claims

It’s a claim relating to illness alleged to have been caused or contributed to by exposure to fuel or exhaust emissions while serving around military helicopters. A civil claim usually requires evidence of negligence and medical causation. AFCS and the War Pension Scheme are separate no-fault compensation routes. 

Reports and legal claims have referred to several helicopter types used by the UK Armed Forces. The circumstances of exposure can differ between aircraft, roles and periods of service, so the aircraft alone doesn’t determine whether there is grounds to claim. 

The Sea King left UK military service in 2018 and the Wessex was retired in 2003. It is common in service to have worked on a number of airframes and we will investigate your level of global exposure. 

• Sea King. 
• Westland Wessex. 
• Puma. 
• Chinook. 
• Other military helicopters where there is evidence of relevant fuel or exhaust exposure. 

Exposure concerns are not limited to pilots. Depending on the aircraft and duties involved, people who may have worked around fuel or exhaust fumes include: 

• Pilot crew. 
• Ground crew. 
• Other service personnel exposed to carcinogenic fumes and/or dust. 

You don’t need to recall every flight or exposure before speaking to us. Service records, flying logs, postings, maintenance information and witness evidence may help build a clearer picture. 

, our team of spinal cord injury lawyers can support you to rebuild your life. 

Some serving personnel and veterans involved in legal action have reported cancer and other serious health conditions after being exposed to carcinogenic eflux. The conditions reported publicly include rare cancers such as multiple myeloma and soft tissue sarcomas, as well as other cancers and respiratory symptoms. 

Serving personnel and veterans may be able to seek advice if they developed an illness after relevant exposure. It is common for cancer to develop some time after leaving service and with a gestation period of some ten years or more. Claims have involved aircrew and ground crew, including engineers, mechanics and maintenance personnel. Eligibility for a civil claim or service compensation scheme depends on the facts and the applicable legal rules. 

Potentially. Current service doesn’t automatically prevent a claim or an AFCS application. AFCS is available to current and former members of the Armed Forces where the scheme rules are met. 

AFCS is a no-fault scheme for injury or illness caused or made worse by service on or after 6 April 2005. Claims are generally subject to a seven-year time limit, although different rules can apply to late-onset illness. You don’t need to prove negligence for AFCS, but you do need to meet the scheme requirements. 

If an illness was caused or made worse by service before 6 April 2005, the War Pension Scheme may be relevant once you have left the Armed Forces. There is no general time limit for making a War Pension Scheme claim. A civil claim is separate and has its own legal rules and time limits. 

Potentially. A civil negligence claim and the military compensation schemes are different routes. Compensation received from different sources can interact, so it is important to understand how one award may affect another. 

Potentially. If a serviceperson or veteran has died following an illness alleged to be linked to military helicopter fumes, the estate and eligible dependents may need advice about a civil fatal claim and any relevant military survivor benefits. The legal route depends on the circumstances and relationship to the person who died. 

There’s no fixed timescale. These cases can require historic records, expert medical evidence and technical evidence about exposure. The length of the claim can also depend on whether responsibility or causation is disputed and whether court proceedings are needed.