Mesothelioma Litigation

A UK widower is seeking asbestos compensation for the death of his wife, who died of mesothelioma.

Asbestos exposure causes malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer that claimed the life of Betty Westhead, according to the Durham Times.

Ivor Westhead said that his wife was exposed to asbestos while working at a Woolworths' at Durham Market Place. Asbestos lawyers said that during renovation work that took place at that store in the 1960s, dozens of people were exposed to the carcinogenic mineral.

Westhead's mesothelioma lawyer said that he is seeking accounts from anyone who may have been at that store when the asbestos incident occurred.

"Because it was in the early '60s, we are having difficulties tracing witnesses," he said. "We are trying to get people to come forward. The case either stands or falls on this."

Asbestos, which the lawyer said was present in the store's ceilings, was once widely used as an insulator and flame retardant. However by the mid-1960s it was known that exposure to the naturally occurring material could cause asbestosis and lung cancer in addition to malignant mesothelioma.