Asbestos exposure in youth kills Poulton pensioner

A POULTON pensioner described as fit and strong by his family died from exposure to asbestos, an inquest heard.
Morris William Banks was diagnosed with mesothelioma in June 2006 and died on November 28.

Blackpool Coroner's Court heard the 78-year-old had worked as an apprentice at John Lumb and Co in his native Leeds, where part of his job involved removing
asbestos powder from cables used for working with high heat and glass manufacture.

Mr Banks, of Hardhorn Road, Poulton, later moved to Central Electricity Generating Board in Leeds where, he told his solicitor in a statement before he died, he worked in old power stations, with asbestos insulation on the pipework.

He said lagging and other maintenance work often went on in the vicinity, creating dust and there was no protective clothing or respiratory protection.

Mark Sissons, consultant pathologist at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, said when he carried out a post-mortem examination on Mr Banks he found a mesothelioma tumour in his chest, which had started to spread to his heart and liver. There were asbestos fibres in the lung tissue.

Coroner Anne Hind recorded a verdict of death caused by the industrial disease diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma, as a result of exposure to asbestos.

She said: "It's quite frightening to think it happened all those years ago. According to the medical profession, we are going to see an explosion in these types of cases over the next few years."