Asbestos, also known in Italy as amianto, is a naturally occurring carcinogenic mineral banned in Italy under Law 257/92, characterised by its high resistance to fire, weather, chemicals, and noise. Its insulating and protective properties were discovered in the late 1800s, leading to its widespread use in construction, shipbuilding, railway manufacturing, firefighting equipment, and mechanical components subject to extreme heat. Between the 1950s and 1990s, asbestos and its derivatives — including Eternit — were used on a massive scale.
Despite early critical studies dating back to 1898, and the recognition in the 1920s and 30s of lung diseases known as asbestosis — linked to the inhalation of asbestos fibres — the carcinogenicity of the mineral was only officially acknowledged in 1977 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It was not until fifteen years later that asbestos was fully banned in Italy under Law 257/92 of Law 257/92 of 27 March 1992.
Asbestos, like many discoveries of past centuries, has caused far more harm than good. Over the last decade alone, 60,000 deaths have been attributed to asbestos-related diseases. What makes this even more alarming is that the annual death toll continues to grow exponentially, and may not begin to decline for another 50 years — pleural mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 40 years. And this is only an optimistic projection, because while asbestos has been banned across Europe and much of the Western world, the threat is entirely ignored in the rest of the globe. Even within Europe, the sheer quantity of asbestos-containing materials makes complete remediation practically impossible, at least in the short to medium term.
The Octopus Investigation Agency has been conducting asbestos investigations since 1988,
including for workers who have been employed abroad
For a free and confidential consultation, call our always-active number:
(+39) 335 77 57 613
You can also text us on WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal
Francesco Finanzon, the agency owner, answers personally.
Workers at Risk of Asbestos-Related Diseases: Who Can Claim Compensation
To establish the causes and responsibilities in this field, it is not enough to know a sick worker’s job title — their specific duties and working conditions must be reconstructed in as much detail as possible. Due to the widespread use of asbestos, the categories at risk cut across all productive and institutional sectors. Among the most heavily exposed:
- Metal engineering and metallurgical industry.
- Mining and cement industry.
- Shipbuilding and naval construction.
- The Navy and Army.
- The National Fire Brigade.
- The aeronautical and railway industry.
- The construction sector in general.
- Residential and industrial plumbering.
- The textile industry.
In investigations into liability for asbestos-related occupational disease, a worker’s CV alone is not sufficient;
the private detectives of the Octopus Investigation Agency reconstruct the specific duties and working environment of each individual.
For a free and confidential consultation, call our always-active number:
(+39) 335 77 57 613
You can also text us on WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal
Francesco Finanzon, the agency owner, answers personally.
How the Octopus Investigation Agency Supports Claims for Pleural Mesothelioma and Asbestos-Related Diseases
The Octopus Investigation Agency of Cassano d’Adda has been handling occupational disease labour cases since 1988, the most common of which involve occupational disease — primarily mesothelioma and asbestosis.
An increasing number of clients — both individuals and companies — are turning to the Octopus Investigation to establish the true liabilities in cases of asbestos-related occupational disease.
These are particularly complex investigations that cannot be improvised. Our private investigators, often going back several decades and covering periods spent abroad, must:
- Reconstruct the full career history of the individual affected by pleural mesothelioma or other asbestos-related disease.
- Reconstruct the working conditions and environments in which the affected person operated.
- Examine the personal lifestyle and habits of the affected person over the years.
- Determine whether there may have been alternative environmental or domestic sources of exposure.
The Octopus Investigation excels at this type of investigation because we are all private detectives of a rather âgée variety, capable of conducting research in paper archives largely unknown to the younger, hyper-digitalised private investigators generation. Being a boomer has its advantages sometimes.
The role of the private detective is not only to identify evidence in favour of our Client, but also evidence that may work against them — so as to avoid courtroom defeats and the resulting financial and reputational losses.
The most stubbornly obstructive employers in denying their workers’ rights have been government bodies and ministries. Consider the legal ordeal endured by Italian military personnel seeking recognition of damage from depleted uranium exposure. Another “bad employer” has been Italian State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato), against whom it took years of legal battles to obtain the first compensation payments for all the asbestos used in the construction of railway carriages.
Many mesothelioma patients contracted the disease during compulsory military service, particularly in the Navy. Asbestos saved many sailors’ and soldiers’ lives in battle — but it silently took many others. Firefighters who fell ill in the line of duty within the National Fire Brigade have also had to fight strenuously in court to have their fundamental rights recognised.
For a free and confidential consultation, call our always-active number:
(+39) 335 77 57 613
You can also text us on WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal
Francesco Finanzon, the agency owner, answers personally.
Defensive Investigations for Occupational Disease: How the Octopus Private Detectives Help You Win Before the Labour Court
In occupational disease litigation, documentary evidence takes priority. It is therefore essential to carry out thorough archival research at the main reference offices, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Land Registry, the Property Register, local Municipal Offices for Private and Public Construction, INAIL, State Archives, Trade Union Archives, local libraries, and more.
Witness testimony comes second, and is most effective when multiple accounts corroborate one another and are supported by documentary evidence.
Photographs taken at company events and parties can often prove invaluable, as they may capture important details about the health and safety conditions of the workplace.
The gathering of all this evidence takes longer the further back in time one must go. And it cannot be improvised.
The burden of proof for establishing or excluding an occupational origin involves complex evaluations and a (not always straightforward) distinction between ‘scheduled’ and ‘non-scheduled’ occupational diseases, which may in turn be ‘single-factor’ or ‘multi-factor’ in origin.
In plain terms: what matters is case law, the latest scientific research on the disease, and any possible contributing factors outside the workplace. My Octopus Investigation Agency of Cassano d’Adda works alongside leading specialists in occupational medicine, industrial hygiene, and toxicology.
Labour court proceedings for asbestos-related occupational disease move far more quickly than civil cases. A worker risks failing to obtain full justice if they do not gather evidence in time regarding the factors that caused their illness — and if they do not take the appropriate steps to anticipate and counter the employer’s defensive strategy.
Equally, employment lawyers who fail to commission effective defensive investigations from a private investigator on behalf of their corporate clients risk losing occupational disease cases unnecessarily — or settling out of court on unfavourable terms.
A lawyer I work with told me he had increased by 50% the compensation awarded to his client — a mesothelioma patient — because I had managed to obtain archive photographs of the company canteen floor, which was made of vinyl-asbestos tiles and showed damage in several areas.
For a free and confidential consultation, call our always-active number:
(+39) 335 77 57 613
You can also text us on WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal
Francesco Finanzon, the agency owner, answers personally.
Non-Patrimonial, Moral, Existential and Thanatological Damages in Occupational Disease and Worker Death Claims
The Octopus Investigation Agency does not limit its investigations to the work history, living conditions, and lifestyle habits of the subject. Since these compensation claims are often made by heirs, it is sometimes necessary to investigate intra-family relationships in order to fairly quantify non-patrimonial damages — including moral, existential, and thanatological harm.
This type of investigation proved essential in a case handled by the Octopus private investigators: a widow who appeared inconsolable yet was simultaneously seeking an excessive settlement — and who had in fact left with a lover years before her husband’s illness and death, having remained formally married to him purely for convenience.
For a free and confidential consultation, call our always-active number:
(+39) 335 77 57 613.
Francesco Finanzon, the agency owner, answers personally.
You can also reach us via WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal
The Octopus Investigation Agency of Cassano d’Adda is able
to find the evidence (however old and wherever in the world it may be)
needed to win an occupational disease case.