Construction worker died of asbestos-related cancer

A FORMER construction worker from Droitwich died from an asbestos-related cancer, an inquest was told.

William Williams died aged 74 on Tuesday, September 4, at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
Mr Williams died three years after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer, three years ago.

Deputy coroner Margaret Barnard read out a statement from Mr Williams' wife of 49 years, Daphne.

In it, Mrs Williams said Mr Williams had worked all his life in the construction industry as a scaffolder and later as a supervisor.

She said he had worked for various firms and, while he did not handle asbestos in the course of his job, it was on site and she believed he had probably helped carry sheets of it. A post-mortem examination showed Mr Williams died from malignant pleural mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure.

Mrs Barnard recorded a verdict of death as a result of industrial disease.

This article was originally published at worcesternews on January
31,2008

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Asbestos victim in campaign for justice

A TYNESIDE father with an asbestos-related lung condition has backed a campaign to win back compensation denied to thousands of workers.

Fred Hewitt has lived with pleural plaques for four years and has the constant fear of developing the lung cancer mesothelioma as a result.

The 73-year-old former ship building worker is calling on the Government to bring in new legislation to overturn a House of Lords ruling that denies victims the right to compensation.
The decision removed the right to compensation, a right that had existed for 20 years until insurance companies argued successfully to end the pay-outs and the Lords ruled on it last year.
In almost every case the condition is caused by workers being exposed to asbestos due to negligence of their employers.

Mr Hewitt is backing Blaydon Labour MP Dave Anderson who was among those debating the issue in parliament this week.

Fellow Blyth Valley and Wansbeck MPs Ronnie Campbell and Denis Murphy have signed a Commons motion that urges action on the issue of pleural plaques. They are urging secretary of state for justice Jack Straw to help reverse the decision. Mr Anderson branded the situation “disgraceful”.

“Workers have been injured through negligent exposure to asbestos by their employers and insurance companies have been allowed to get out of paying them the compensation they are due.

“The Government should do everything in their power to put this injustice right.
“Thousands of workers are affected, particularly in industrial areas like Tyneside, their lungs have been damaged and they face increased risk of fatal illness.”

Mr Hewitt, a father of four from Fellside, South Shields, was diagnosed with pleural plaques in 2004 and suffers from chest infections and shortness of breath. The condition could develop into mesothelioma at any time.

“I very much worry about that and it is constantly in my mind,” said Mr Hewitt.

“I am glad someone is trying to push this through as it is an injustice to all of us and an absolute disgrace.”

For 20 years, pleural plaques sufferers were able to claim compensation where it was proved their former employers were to blame for the exposure.

The right to compensation was established in the High Court in 2005 but the insurance companies successfully appealed that decision and the Law Lords gave a final ruling late last year.

“What amazes me is that originally when people were diagnosed with pleural plaques they got compensation but the insurance companies challenged it and won,” said Mr Hewitt.

“How can they say one moment it is detrimental to a person’s health then the next that it is not.
“I want to see this ruling overturned.”

Asbestos related disease is the biggest cause of work related death in this country. More than 2,000 people will die from mesothelioma this year alone and tens of thousands will die over the next decade.”

MPs also called for the Government to force the insurers to set up a fund to compensate the victims for asbestos disease whose claims fail because their employer no longer exists and an insurer cannot be traced.

It is estimated that the House of Lords ruling will save insurance companies £1.4bn.

This article was originally published on a webpage of journallive on January 26,2008

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South Africa facing an asbestos epidemic

Dozens of South Africans still die of asbestos-related diseases every year, despite the closure of asbestos mines in the mid-1980s.The most recent victims, a 19-year-old and a 60-year-old man from Kuruman in the Northern Cape, died last week from secondary pollution from asbestos.

The deaths came in the wake of a 2005/6 government study on the extent of pollution at former mining sites.The objective of the study was to highlight the potential extent of secondary pollution.The two deaths came also after the announcement of the government's intention to introduce new legislation to prohibit the use, manufacture, import and export of asbestos and any materials containing the mineral fibres.

Dr Shahieda Adams, a medical specialist in occupational and environmental health, said although the government was trying to prohibit the use and manufacture of asbestos, the fibre had a long latency period and problems could manifest only years after people were exposed to it.She told Weekend Argus that in some cases it could take up to 30 years for the disease to manifest."That's why we still see people dying today.

We are actually hitting the asbestos epidemic now. And, on top of that, people in the Northern Cape are still exposed to secondary pollution from asbestos as a result of the fibre being used in their homes and buildings and to insulate structures in that area."Adams said although Capetonians were seldomly infected with the deadly lung disease, there had been asbestos-related cases, especially among those in the asbestos cement, manufacturing and construction industries."Asbestos was used extensively in this country before government's ban," she said."It was used in roofing sheets, cement and in other manufacturing material. The lung institute sees people, who worked in these industries years ago, on a weekly basis."

Then there are also people who moved to Cape Town from the Northern Cape or other mining provinces. And in almost all the cases it's people over 50 years old who worked on the mines or in the construction and manufacturing industry who have been affected."The diseases caused by asbestos range in severity from mild to lethal, but are incurable, progressive and, in most cases, only occur decades after exposure.The disease occurs in response to inhaling asbestos fibres.

The fibres may eventually cause scarring of the lungs or malignant growths, asbestos-related lung cancer or mesothelioma.Asbestos-related lung cancer is a cancer which forms in the spongy parts of the lung. It grows very quickly and causes a bloody cough, shortness of breath and chest pain.Mesothelioma is also a cancer and starts on the outer surface of the lung. It grows quickly and starts pushing on, and enclosing, the lungs, causing shortness of breath, severe pain, fatigue and weight loss.Prognoses vary among people, depending on the extent of damage to the lungs."Someone with an asbestos-related disease could live for a long time, but once the person develops cancer from it they often don't live beyond a year," said Adams. "It's important for the diagnosis to be made as early as possible. "If an X-ray is not taken of the lungs, medical practitioners will never know if the patient is suffering from an asbestos-related disease or not.

"Although nothing can really be done when the lung is damaged, treatment is available for relief."Adams welcomed the government's move to ban materials manufactured from asbestos, but said the country would still see a lot of asbestos- related cases over the next 10 to 20 years."There are also concerns of the secondary wave of asbestos," she said."This could be due to secondary asbestos pollution, when old buildings and structures, built with asbestos fibre, are demolished or damaged. The people who work or clean the ruins inhale the asbestos fibres and can also be affected." Meanwhile, the Asbestos Relief Trust, with its head office in Johannesburg, has been assisting victims of asbestos-related diseases since 2003.

I have found this resource at iol

This article was originally published on page 9 of Cape Argus on January 27,
2008

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Death toll reaches its peak

NORTHWICH is reaching a peak in the number of people dying from asbestos related cancer.
Vale Royal has the third highest mortality rate in Cheshire, with 78 deaths from mesothelioma recorded between 1985 and 2004.

It is a rare form of cancer that attacks the lungs, and is mainly caused by exposure to asbestos, which was readily used at engineering sites such as ICI at Winnington.

Between 1985 and 1989 just five men died in the borough from the disease, but between 2000 and 2004, this figure had risen to 31 - a trend experts expect to continue.

The disease can take up to 60 years to develop and asbestos was widely used until the late 1970s, meaning many cases are yet to emerge.

An inquest into the death of a former ICI employee from Rudheath revealed he developed mesothelioma because of exposure to asbestos in the 1950s and 60s.

The hearing at Crewe last Wednesday heard how Kenneth Hickson, 72, came into contact with the deadly fibre while working as an electrical engineer at ICI's Fleetwood plant.

He would remove the asbestos to carry out his job, and it was then reapplied in his presence - asbestos is at its most dangerous when it is broken up and the individual fibres are inhaled.
Solicitor Janet Finney said: "The prognosis from being diagnosed is usually 12 months but Mr Hickson didn't even live that long. It came as quite a shock because he was exposed so early on in his career."

She added: "The death toll is devastating, it is a terrible and painful death and is massively distressing for families."

Ms Finney, who works for national group Thompsons Solicitors, is now persuing a claim against ICI and urges anyone affected by mesothelioma to seek legal advice.

"Families are left in extreme financial difficulty and suffer considerably. It is crucial to find a solicitor to help set your own claim in motion," she said.

For more information about mesothelioma and how to make a compensation claim, please contact Cheshire Victims Asbestos Support Group on 01928 576641.

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Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Commonly, because lung cancer symptoms do not manifest in the early stage of the disease, treating it will be a big problem especially when detection happens when cancer metastases or secondary cancer cells already developed in the other organs of the body. Much research work has been dedicated to find out the first symptoms of lung cancer. Extensive research works conducted at Mesothelioma research clinics have uncovered some symptoms of lung cancer closely linked with the disease.

The main three symptoms to lung cancer that should not be ignored are shortness of breath, pain when breathing or coughing, and existence of a persistent cough, especially if it is accompanied by expectoration of sputum streaked with blood. Additionally, loss of appetite, fatigue, unusual losses of weight are three symptoms, which are indicative of lung cancer. The website further deals with the symptoms that can indicate and help identify the formulation of the preliminary stages of the disease (though difficult to be detected) so that adequate measures can be taken at the earliest possible opportunity.

Stage IV with extensive lymph node involvement or cancer that has spread to other organs, hen treated with chemotherapy and palliative care to reduce symptoms and increase comfort has a one-year survival rate.

Mesothelioma

Erionite fibers were found in biopsies of lungs of the mesothelioma cancer afflicted people. The third type of mesothelioma is called biphasic, it is a combination of the other two types and consists of 20-35% of all cases. In fact, Mesothelioma research news states that the period of the onset of Mesothelioma cancer could be from 10 to 60 years from the time of exposure to asbestos.

It is said that mesothelioma is linked to lung cancer and it is a good idea to get the help that is deserved when someone feels like they have been diagnosed because of the work that they did for a living. The term mesothelioma is used to describe a cancer tumor, which involves the mesothelial cells of an organ; this is usually the lungs, heart, or the abdominal organs. Mesothelioma cancer is caused by exposure to carcinogens such as asbestos.

Most cancers are caused by external stimuli and mesothelioma is no different.

Exposure

The time between exposure and development of cancer ranges from 15 to 30 years. Your risk increases by 30 percent from daily exposure to second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke: Exposure to second-hand smoke has been shown to be a definite risk factor.

Although rarely discussed, exposure to toxic fumes in the workplace or environmental toxins in the air contribute to a significant number of deaths from lung cancer. For example, occupational exposure to diesel motor emissions, asbestos, and paint was found to be significantly correlated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Although changes in the lung begin almost immediately upon exposure to carcinogens, lung cancer takes years to develop.

Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly type of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing products. People who get lung cancer from asbestos exposure usually get it from work or from living in an older home. Factors that may protect people from lung cancer are not smoking, avoiding second hand smoke, a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit, and limiting exposure to potential carcinogens in the environment such as radon.

Asbestos

Imagine a building with asbestos insulation torn apart and exposing all that insulation, well now you can see the problem. Lung Cancer is affiliated with Asbestos Exposure.

People working in industries which involve extensive use of asbestos and other chemical substances/fumes are also at a greater risk of lung cancer. There are no reported cases of mesothelioma in people who were not exposed to asbestos either in the workplace or through their environment. Because asbestos related diseases take decades to form, early detection is critical for proper treatment.

However, exposure to asbestos presents an added urgency for routine appointments.

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Inquest hears of asbestos death

A MAN who spent years removing asbestos roofing died after developing a deadly tumour, an inquest heard on Thursday.
Dennis Millward, of Titty Ho in Raunds, died at the age of 73 after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is associated with asbestos.

His wife June told Kettering Magistrates Court he worked for a time moving asbestos.

He would also cut and grind asbestos sheets without any protective clothing.

Mr Millward went to the doctor after suffering weight loss and breathlessness at the start of 2007 and died in Cransley Hospice on July 8.

Recording a verdict of industrial disease, coroner Anne Pember said: “He was exposed to asbestos when the dangers were not known. It’s a horrendous illness for which there’s no cure.”

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