Compensation For Former Plumber For Mesothelioma Caused By Exposure To Asbestos At Work

Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer

11/06/2008

A former plumber, who suffers from an asbestos-related lung cancer from exposure to asbestos at work, has received £100,000 compensation.

Mr X, 84, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the lining of the lung caused by exposure to asbestos, in September 2007.

Mr X had started to feel extremely breathless and noticeably weaker. After initial investigations, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma on 18th September 2006.

He was exposed to asbestos several times during his employment history, however mainly whilst working for William Press & Son Ltd, Steel Engineering, Peter Johnson& Co Ltd and Samuel Talbot as a plumber.

Any repair work that was done involved accessing pipe work through lagging. Most of the pipe work was lagged with a hard plaster type coating which could be removed from the pipe with a knife or hammer. This would create significant amounts of dust. Whilst Mr X was working with William Press & Son Ltd there had also been an explosion in the boiler room at Teesport ICI plant. The boiler had exploded and caused a great deal of damage. The whole area had been contaminated with asbestos which had lagged the boiler. Mr X would use a hand held electric grinder to grind away the butt that had been damaged. This involved removing asbestos which had previously lagged that area.

The claim was settled after liability was admitted in February 2008 by Lucy Proctor of Irwin Mitchell's specialist Asbestos Related Disease Team, who deal with all claims for mesothelioma, asbestosis and asbestos-related lung cancer, based in Newcastle.