Asbestos Victim Says Illness Is A Ticking Time Bomb

A man from Dundee who is living with an asbestos-related condition says it’s akin to having a gun placed to your head without knowing when the trigger will be pulled.

The 65-year-old former painter believes he contracted the industrial illness when he was employed as a painter in the 1960s. His lungs are scarred and thickened and his condition could turn cancerous at any point.

He said: “If it gets to that stage the doctors said I might just have five or six months to live. The worry is over not knowing. It’s like there’s a gun held to your head and you don’t know when the trigger is going to get pulled.”

Asbestos Moustaches

The granddad to two girls worked for a decorating company in the sixties and thinks his condition could stem from scraping asbestos at a job at an airbase. He said he was ‘covered in it’ and himself and fellow workers had asbestos all over their faces forming ‘asbestos moustaches’.

His granddad is also suffering from asbestosis and both want the workmen in the 60s and 70s to get checked out, believing a lot more people are suffering. He said: “So many young lads were working with it then.”

Claiming Compensation For Asbestosis

Asbestosis is one form of industrial illness relating to the exposure of asbestos. It is a very painful and disabling condition affecting the lungs. Late-onset symptoms are typical of the disease and it is often decades before victims realise they have the condition.

If you have been unable to work because of asbestos then you might be able to claim compensation if it can be proven that your employer was negligent.

If you or a family member has suffered from asbestos exposure then please get in touch with Jefferies’ today. We have a team of trained specialists who understand a lot about industrial illnesses.

Published 13th February 2015.