DNA test that could quickly solve thousands of sick workers’ claims

[Guest guest]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2469488.ece

The Times

September 17, 2007

DNA test that could quickly solve thousands of sick workers' claims

Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor

A new technique for testing DNA could transform civil litigation cases by supporting or refuting people's claims that their health has been damaged by exposure to toxic chemicals.

Samples of DNA are taken from a healthy person and exposed to the chemical in question to see which genes are affected. This is then used as a blueprint against which a claimant's DNA can be compared.

The technique is expected to transform the quality of evidence in civil cases. It could dramatically reduce the time it takes to settle cases where miners, industrial workers and others seek compensation for illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos, coal dust or other environmental toxins.

Such cases can often run for decades, or rely on evidence only available from a postmortem examination.