Case studies of Asbestos victims from the Barking Area
Mr. A
In 1976, Mr. A got a job
as a builder's labourer doing demolition work in banks in the City of London. Some
of the work consisted of ripping out insulation piping. He worked alongside those
who stripped the asbestos insulation off the pipes. That would result in him being
covered in the dust by the end of each day. He was never given any warnings about
the danger of asbestos. In 1978 he left the industry and
became a lorry driver.
Mr.
A had never suffered from any permanent health problems until he became breathless
in January 2002 aged 60. He was then diagnosed with pleural thickening. The breathlessness
became worse and by July 2002 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma -
A legal case was pursued by his widow and full
damages were recovered.
Mrs. B was never exposed to asbestos during her working
lifetime but her husband had always been involved as a lagger or lagger's mate. She
would wash his overalls when he brought them home at the weekend using a large copper
tub heated by gas. They were normally so covered in dust that she had to take them
to the back door and shake them. This would get some of it off but it would then
get all over her hands and clothes.
1997 Mrs B suffered from a heart attack at the
age of 61. On discharge from hospital she was sent to a specialist who put her on
an operation list for a triple bypass. A preliminary x-
A legal case was pursued
and full damages were recovered.
In 1966 Mr. C started working as a cleaner at
Barking Power Station aged 19. Amongst other places he worked in the boiler house
where the air was thick with dust from laggers removing old lagging from pipes.
When
the laggers had finished he had to clear up the broken asbestos which the laggers
had left behind. After that he had to sweep up the asbestos dust which would settle
all over the factory each day.
In 1996 Mr. C was diagnosed as having mesothelioma
at the age of 49. At the time he was married with two children and two grandchildren
and working for the post office. He was no longer able to continue at work and had
to undertake extensive chemotherapy.
A legal case was pursued and full damages were
recovered.
Mrs. D
Mrs. D's family moved to Barking in the 1940s shortly after she
was born. Her grandparents lived on North Street which backed onto the Cape Asbestos
factory. She was very close to her grandparents so she visited them everyday and
would often spend the night there.
She remembered that as a little girl that there
used to be a layer of white dust in the house which covered everything. She enjoyed
running her hand through it to create little piles. Her grandfather grew food on
his small holding which was in Cape's premises. The whole family used to eat the
animals and vegetables from that strip of land.
In 2001 After extensive back problems
Mrs. D was referred to Basildon Hospital at the age of 55. When she mentioned she
was from Barking the doctor immediately started asking about asbestos. Subsequent
x-
A
legal case was pursued and full damages were recovered.
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