A Shrewsbury woman’s cause of death was a lung disease caused by asbestos, 60 years after she was exposed to it working as a teenager, a coroner concluded.
Seventy-six-year-old Collette Jennifer Breeze spent a year working in the office of her father’s plumbing business when she was sixteen years old.
Collette didn’t remain at her father’s business after this time, Shropshire senior Coroner John Ellery was told, and she later worked as a classroom assistant and was retired from her profession prior to her time of death on November 16, 2023.
It was heard in Shirehall in Shrewsbury on Thursday that she had fallen ill and was found to have malignant mesothelioma.
The inquest was told that she was placed into palliative care and died at home. The conclusion of the Coroner was that Mrs. Breeze died of an industrial disease.
Mesothelioma – What is it?
Mesothelioma is a type of asbestos-related cancer affecting the lining of the lung, or the pleura. It can also be found in the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneal) or the lining around the heart (pericardial).
Other types of asbestos-related cancers and illnesses are disorders of the lungs caused by exposure to and inhalation of the fibres shed from asbestos.
Such conditions ordinarily develop years or even decades after the actual exposure to asbestos took place.
Mesothelioma or asbestosis can also come around as a result of environmental exposure, regardless of how you were put into contact with it. Asbestos was extensively used in many building materials, and a large amount of asbestos still remains in buildings.
If the asbestos is disturbed to allow fragments to be released into the air, it can create a potential hazard to health.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is usually fatal. Symptoms will often rapidly deteriorate after a diagnosis is made and can include:
- Breathing difficulties and shortness of breath
- Chest pains
- Coughing and wheezing
- Extreme tiredness
- Unaccountable weight loss
- Abdominal pain and swelling (for peritoneal mesothelioma)
How do you get Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is an incurable illness contracted by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos exposure can cause serious, and sometimes life-threatening health implications.
Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that was adopted as a building material in the 1900s. It was lauded as a cost-effective, fire-resistant and easily mined material. It was later discovered, however, that exposure to the material can cause serious illness.
Asbestos becomes harmful if disturbed, as the toxic fibres will enter the atmosphere. Inhalation of fibres can cause illnesses like Mesothelioma.
Further reading
For some further information about Mesothelioma and Asbestosis, check out this page.
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