Clement Smith Is Calling Upon Former Colleagues To Help Determine How He Was Exposed To Deadly Dust

A retired Sheffield labourer is appealing to his former colleagues for information following his asbestos-related cancer diagnosis.

Clement Smith, known as Clem, from Todwick, Sheffield, instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the lungs, on August 18, 2016.

The 69-year-old believes he was exposed to asbestos while working as a general labourer at W M Monks Ltd builders merchants from August 1963 to 1965. Mesothelioma, a terminal illness, takes decades to develop following exposure to the harmful fibres.

Clem, who has been married to wife Margaret for 46 years and is a father of three sons and a daughter, was employed at the site in Queens Road, Sheffield  where he worked in the yard and was responsible for unloading deliveries, picking orders and serving customers at the trade counter.

Irwin Mitchell is appealing to Clem’s former colleagues to provide them with information about the working conditions at W M Monks Ltd.

Clem said: “I’m still struggling to come to terms with my diagnosis and what that means for me and my family. I know my condition is terminal, but I have been responding well to treatment so I want to make sure I get the answers my family deserves before it is too late.

“I have so many questions about how I could have been exposed to asbestos and why I wasn’t properly protected, and I think I deserve answers, not just for me but my family.

“It can’t change what has happened to me, but hopefully by having my old colleagues come forward, it will enable my family to understand why this happened and how.”

Adrian Budgen, an expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Clem, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive, and sadly, incurable, form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust fibres. It is responsible for the deaths of more than 2,500 people in the UK every year.

“We are investigating Clem’s exposure during his time working at W M Monks Ltd and hope that anyone who worked on the premises in the 1960s will come forward with any information they have about the presence of asbestos and what measures were in place to protect workers from exposure to the harmful dust and fibres.” Adrian Budgen - Partner

Anyone with information regarding the working conditions at W M Monks Ltd during the 1960s should contact Adrian Budgen on 0114 274 4420 or email Adrian.Budgen@IrwinMitchell.com.