Asbestos News

A pathologist who carried out a post mortem examination of a former UK plumber recently told an inquest that the man died of asbestosis, which was likely caused by being exposed to the carcinogen on the job.

The Hastings Observer reports that 79-year-old Charles Hall worked installing central heating systems on many buildings throughout the UK during the 1960s. Hall reportedly used asbestos-containing insulation materials during such work.

Hall, who died at the Conquest Hospital last February, ultimately passed away due to his contraction of asbestosis, Dr. Stanford Mathe told the news source.

Asbestosis is characterized by symptoms such as chest pain, cough, tightness in the chest and shortness of breath, according to the Mayo Clinic. In addition to asbestosis, exposure to asbestos has been proven to cause lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.

Hall's daughter Carolyn told the inquest that her father had begun working in the plumbing industry when he was just 14 years of age, according to the news source.