Retiree Succumbed to Asbestos Mesothelioma; More Public Awareness Needed

Croydon, United KingdomMany asbestos mesothelioma victims are those who worked in boiler rooms in US shipyards during the Second World War. Asbestos is also found in older buildings, such as those built prior to 1999 in the UK, before white asbestos was finally banned—but not soon enough. A retired civil servant in England who was allegedly exposed to asbestos recently died—her job was to read fuel meters in the building's boiler room among old and exposed pipes.

Helen Wickings died at the age of 65 after she was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2010. A coroner ruled that Wickings died from asbestos-related occupational disease. At first, Wickings attributed a bad cough to pneumonia or bronchitis. (Early symptoms often mimic those of bronchitis and pneumonia, making diagnosis difficult.)

She vowed to spend her remaining months fighting for compensation to pay for her 86-year-old husband's care and took legal action against Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs, formerly Inland Revenue. Apart from taking time off to have children, she was employed by Inland Revenue since the age of 16. Wickings claimed she was exposed to asbestos for the first time between 1973 and June 1976: she took files to a storeroom full of dusty filing racks and dusty radiators. Again, between 1984 and 1988, she had to go down to the boiler room, which was full of old exposed pipes, read the meter and order more fuel if it was low. According to the Croydon Gazette, on one occasion the boiler room became flooded. Outside contractors were called in to remove asbestos from the boiler room; they had a facility with showers and all of them wore protective suits and masks.

Last September, Wickings spoke to the Croydon Court officials about her appeal for anyone else affected by the disease to come out and fight for their rights. In a statement, Wickings said that this kind of case needs more publicity because other people must be informed that their lives are in danger due to asbestos exposure. (In the US, asbestos continues to be used in cement asbestos pipes.)

In August 2008, a maintenance man died after working for decades in rooms where he would strip boiler doors and pipework of asbestos lagging. According to the Burnley Express (Lancashire), the man brought an asbestos lawsuit against his employers after developing mesothelioma—but it was too late. In another tragedy, a merchant marine was diagnosed with walking pneumonia; within weeks he died from cancer. His wife believes he had mesothelioma from asbestos exposure.

Sadly, Wickings ignored her condition until she was finally diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2010. Sometimes, this development takes twenty to fifty years for a diagnosis. If you believe that you have been exposed to asbestos, and if you have even a slight cough, seek medical help right away—and talk with an attorney sooner than later.

Typically patient life expectancy is short (averaging about 18 months) following a diagnosis of mesothelioma, but treatments are available, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or palliative care.