Asbestos News

A former electrician from Runcton Holme, England, died earlier this year following a battle with malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of asbestos-related cancer, an inquest heard recently.

According to the Lynn News, 63-year-old David Britton died specifically of respiratory failure, which was a result of his advanced mesothelioma. Britton's widow, Yvonne, told the inquest at Lynn Courts House that her husband had been diagnosed last December during a trip to Lynn hospital.

Yvonne Britton added that her husband told her his exposure to asbestos "could have been anywhere," as he had worked in a number of locations throughout his 40-year career, from ships to schools.

Coroner William Armstrong noted that it was "more likely than not" that Britton's mesothelioma had been caused by occupational asbestos exposure. As a result, he recorded the man's death as a result of an industrial disease, the news source said.

In addition to malignant mesothelioma, the inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to the development of lung cancer and asbestosis. Such asbestos-related diseases claim the lives of approximately 107,000 individuals around the world each year, according to the World Health Organization.