On Friday, a French court ordered the former employer of 17 workers forced to retire early because of asbestos exposure to pay compensation of up to €85,000 ($133,800 USD) for lost earnings.

The employer, papermaker Ahlstrom Labelpack, was ordered to pay the 17 workers between €9,000 and €85,000 ($14,044 and $132.634 USD) each for the loss of 35% of their earnings up to the legal retirement age. In addition, it ordered the company to pay €10,000 ($15,604 USD) for stress and anxiety to the workers, none of whom has so far contracted an asbestos-related disease.

If confirmed by an appeal court ruling in September, the decision could add significantly to compensation costs for asbestos-related diseases, expected to total between €11.7 billion and €22 billion ($18.26 billion and $34.33 billion) over the next 20 years, according to a report to parliament in 2004.

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