Asbestos News
Asbestosis kills former UK marine, coroner's court hears
A recent coroner's inquest in the UK found that a former power plant worker died of asbestosis, a lung condition caused by exposure to asbestos.According to the Mayo Clinic, asbestosis "is a breathing disorder caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Prolonged accumulation of these fibers in [one's] lungs can cause scarring of lung tissue and shortness of breath." This is the illness that claimed the life of Ronald Thomas, who worked at the Portishead Power Plant for about 15 years in the 1970s and '80s, reports the Weston Mercury.
Assistant deputy coroner Phillip Howells heard at Flax Bourton Coroners Court that Thomas was regularly exposed to asbestos while on the job, something many blue collar workers experienced in decades past.
The coroner's court ruled that Thomas, a former marine, died of an industrial disease, reports the news provider.
Asbestosis is one of the main illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos. Other diseases caused by coming in contact with the naturally occurring mineral, which was once widely used as a flame retardant and insulator, include malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer.
3/23/11
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