Man dies from asbestos disease in hospital where his asbestos exposure occurred
In a sad twist of irony, a UK man has passed away in the very same English hospital where it is believed he was first exposed to the carcinogen that ultimately took his life. Trevor Bell was 59 at the time of his death on January 27, and the cause was malignant mesothelioma. It is believed that Bell was exposed to asbestos while working in his younger years at the same Lincolnshire hospital where he died earlier this year.
Bell was diagnosed with the disease in May 2007. It is quite common for mesothelioma to kill within only two years or so after being diagnosed. While there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure for this aggressive and rare form of cancer. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer within 4-24 months of being diagnosed.
In a statement written before he died, Bell recalled how he was employed as an apprentice electrician "At Lincoln County Hospital [where] the steam pipes in the basement were covered in asbestos lagging. I had to sweep away quite a lot of dust before I could begin my work which I believe contained asbestos from the lagging. Then I worked at the hospital in Derby – I think the asbestos levels at Lincoln were worse than at Derby."
Deputy Coroner Richard Marshall said, "It is clear from the evidence I have heard and the history given by Mr Bell himself, together with the expert’s report and the conclusion of the post mortem examination, that this was malignant mesothelioma linked to asbestos exposure during Mr. Bell’s working life."
