When Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims Doctors

Dorchester, United KingdomA UK doctor who spent his lifetime treating patients and saving lives was himself struck down by asbestos mesothelioma after coming into contact with asbestos at the very hospital where he plied his skills, according to a recent report. The death of Dr. Richard Pengelly Ashfield adds new emphasis to what happens when deadly asbestos fibers are either disturbed or are not properly contained.

Asbestos, once a common fiber used in a variety of materials to which people would routinely come into contact (such as wallboard or insulation), is now well known for its carcinogenic properties. Given the extended incubation period—as long as three decades or more—mesothelioma symptoms can begin to emerge years after exposure.

The UK story adds weight to the concern with asbestos present in old buildings—including hospitals. The result is a hazard not only for patients, but also for all who work there.

An inquest into the death of Dr. Ashfield, 78, concluded that the doctor died as the result of inhaling asbestos fibers while working at various London hospitals that employed his services between 1962 and 1968. Dr. Ashfield succumbed to asbestos cancer June 5 of last year, some 42 years after his last suspected exposure to asbestos.

He worked as a consultant at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, UK, prior to his retirement in 1995. However, it was at Westminster Hospital in London where the late doctor recalled encountering asbestos, according to his daughter Dr. Rebecca Ashfield.

She testified at the coroner's inquest that her father believed his exposure stemmed from underground passageways connecting various buildings at the heritage hospital. West Dorset Coroner Michael Johnston articulated at the inquest words the elder Dr. Ashfield had described to his daughter.

"I think your father described to you that there were underground passages between the various buildings of the hospitals that doctors would use to get around. He said the hospitals were old and the asbestos was flaking and there was dust around.

"I accept the cause of his death as being sarcomatoid mesothelioma and there is a possibility here of Dr. Ashfield being exposed to asbestos while working at the London hospitals.

"This is a rare cancer and in a very, very high percentage of cases it is due to exposure to asbestos. I shall record a verdict that he has died from an industrial-related disease."

The death of Dr. Ashfield mirrors that of Dr. John Brian Chapman, who died in June of 2009 from mesothelioma at the age of 82, and Dr. James Emerson, who died in 1995 at the age of 47. Both men were allegedly exposed to asbestos while working at Middlesex Hospital in Camden: Chapman in the 1950s, and Emerson while training at Middlesex from 1966 to 1970.

Emerson's family sued the Camden and Islington Health Authority and settled for the equivalent of $1.8 million in asbestos compensation.