Widow Seeks Details From Husband’s Former City Special Waste Colleagues

The widow of a former marketing manager from Cardiff is appealing to his past workmates for help following her husband’s death from asbestos-related cancer.

Graham Wright, 64, died on 2 March from mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the lining of the lung associated with exposure to asbestos, often decades previously.

Following his diagnosis, Graham instructed specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his illness and if it could be linked to his work history, but died before he could see his case concluded.

Following her husband’s death, Elaine Wright, 61, has now joined with his legal team to appeal for his former work colleagues to come forward with information about the conditions he faced.

They are particularly keen to trace anyone who worked with Graham during his time as a marketing manager for City Special Waste in Cardiff, from 2001 to 2003. Graham believed City Special Waste to be linked with the Mowlem Group.

Expert Opinion

“Graham’s diagnosis at a relatively young age for mesothelioma came as a huge shock. Understandably Elaine and the family have been left devastated by his death and what this means for the future.

“Graham was a full time carer for Elaine and Graham’s death leaves her with many worries about the future and how the family will cope now Graham is gone.

“Many people associate asbestos with traditional heavy industry, but its use was widespread, with many public buildings such as schools, hospitals and offices containing the hazardous material.

“We’re determined to support Elaine as she continues her husband’s quest to establish the facts surrounding his asbestos exposure. We can’t change what the family is going through, but we can help obtain the answers Graham wanted and Elaine deserves. If anyone remembers working with Graham could make contact, it would mean a lot to Elaine as she looks to complete her husband’s work.” Virginia Chalmers - Partner

Graham, of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, left school aged 17 and joined The Army as a driver and radio operator. On leaving The Army in 1981, Graham worked in several retail and sales roles; while the ‘90s saw him working on various building projects and as a freelance contractor. He continued in sales work until he joined City Special Waste as a marketing manager in 2001.

Working out of the firm’s Cardiff office, Graham’s role was to sell building and land remediation services to a variety of sectors including local authorities and health bodies. He divided his time by working on tenders and out on site assessing jobs and estimating costs.

Graham recalled a lot of work on sites where garages were. The garages were made of corrugated sheets and in a poor state of repair. He said these sites would often be dusty and he would have to walk through garages to estimate the cost of demolition and removal.

Many buildings Graham surveyed had old heating systems with lagged pipes and he inspected many boiler houses. He took samples of this insulation for testing, so the company could determine the precautions needed during demolition and removal.

One big job Graham recalled was the demolition of several postal buildings in Swindon.

For the next 16 years, Graham had a variety of roles and short term contracts, including as a fire and safety engineer. In October 2019, while working as a maintenance engineer for a healthcare company, he developed chest pains and shortness of breath carrying fire extinguishers upstairs.

Graham’s symptoms persisted. Following tests he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December 2021 and died on 2 March 2022.

Graham has one son, Matthew and three grandchildren, Maci-Grace, Jacob and Maddison.

Prior to his diagnosis, Graham was an active man, who enjoyed a round of golf and was a Bath Rugby season ticket holder. Graham had also become a keen cook and in addition to the couple spending time with their grandchildren, Graham put his years of building experience to good use by helping out at the local church.

Speaking about her husband and the appeal, Elaine said: “When Graham first developed symptoms, we thought he was having heart problems and it was a real shock when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. His death has left us devastated and I still can’t believe he has been taken from us so quickly.

“Graham was such a wonderful man, my husband and my best friend. Even in his illness, he was looking ahead to arrange care packages for both of us, but neither of us imagined the disease could progress so fast. It’s such a worry now to consider what the future may hold without him.

“Through it all, Graham was committed to finding out more about his exposure to asbestos and it’s the least I can do to see that his last wishes are fulfilled. If any of Graham’s former colleagues could come forward, it would mean so much to me. Any information they have could really help.”

Anyone with information that could help Elaine is asked to contact Virginia Chalmers on 0117 926 1514 or virgnia.chalmers@irwinmitchell.com

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