This makes sense to me and might just need some context. My grandfather died from mesothelioma - a dust based disease caused, in his case, by asbestos. As a 20/30 year old plumber, he was using asbestos products without any protection as it was assumed to be safe. Later in life, he developed mesothelioma which effectively causes your lungs to fail.

These diseases develop over time so there are claims that are unknown at this point in time but will appear in the future. It makes sense for a fund to be set up to cover future claims.