Asbestos News

A former UK postman died recently from malignant mesothelioma after he was reportedly exposed to asbestos during his life, but did not know when, according to Peterborough Today.

The news source reports that Cecil Palmer died approximately two months after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that attacks the tissues surrounding many of the body's internal organs.

While the death was recorded as a result of an industrial disease, a recent inquest could not pinpoint where the 78 year old ultimately came into contact with the carcinogenic substance.

Palmer's son, Russell, told the inquest that his father left school in 1947 and worked as an apprentice performing shoe repairs in London, according to the news source. However, he began working as a postman in the late 1970s and held that role until he retired in 1997.

"I had a couple of conversations with him but he couldn’t remember where he came into contact with asbestos," Russell Palmer told the inquest.

Malignant mesothelioma is just one of the diseases caused by asbestos exposure, as lung cancer and asbestosis can also result. Such illnesses kill approximately 107,000 people around the world each year, according to the World Health Organization.