Expert Industrial Disease Lawyers Investigating Asbestos Exposure

A devastated York widow who lost her husband to mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is calling for his former colleagues to come forward and help her take legal action against his former employers.

John McLaughlin died aged 85 in May 2016, just four months after being diagnosed with mesothelioma in January, after suffering shortness of breath.

Now, his widow Margaret, who was married to John for 57 years, along with her legal team at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office, is appealing to those who worked alongside John to come forward with any information they have about his exposure to asbestos, as well as the warnings provided to him about the dangers of the substance and the safety measures in place to protect him.

Before John’s death he said he believed he was exposed to asbestos during his working career, in particular during the time he spent working at the British Sugar Beet Factory in York and later, while working for Reader and Nervad, a Nottinghamshire building firm that was contracted to carry out work on York Minster in the 1960s.

During two spells at the British Sugar Beet Factory in York in the 1950s John spent time in the pulp house, the silos outside the factory, the press section and in the refinery area of the factory. He told his legal team that there was a lot of asbestos-lagged pipework throughout the factory.

Ian Toft, an expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Margaret, said: 

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“It has been well known for some time that asbestos poses a danger to health when it releases dust and fibres that are inhaled. In our work we see many instances where people are exposed to the material during their working life.

“All too often these individuals were never warned of the dangers asbestos posed to their health, nor were they provided with the safety equipment that would have prevented them from inhaling the substance.

“John was diagnosed with mesothelioma only a matter of months before his death and we are now continuing to fight for justice for him and his wife Margaret, who has understandably been left devastated by his death.

“We hope his former colleagues will come forward and help us with the information we need to get Margaret the answers she needs about how and why John came into contact with asbestos fibres that led to him developing this terminal disease.” Ian Toft - Partner

John, a father-of-four and grandfather-of-seven, spent time working on York Minster during his time with Reader and Nervad. Before his death he told his legal team he worked in the undercroft, an area of the Minster where asbestos was later found.

Margaret, who is in her 70s, said: “We never thought when John started struggling for breath that he would be diagnosed with something so serious. It was terrible for us all to see John’s health deteriorate so quickly and all we want now is to get justice for him.

“We hope the people who used to work alongside him will come forward with the information we need to make sure those responsible for not protecting John will be held to account.”

Anyone with information on working conditions at the British Sugar Beet Factory in York or worked alongside John at York Minster for Reader and Nervad should contact Ian Toft on or email Ian.Toft@IrwinMitchell.com.