It’s more than 30 years since the killer asbestos was banned, but its deadly legacy still haunts Teesside, as the death of former British Titanium worker Peter Allen reveals. Sue Scott reports.
THE commentary on the car radio was deadly serious, but Peter Allen took its warning about asbestos poisoning lightly. He even quipped to his wife: “That’ll be me one day.”
And it was. The former research chemist with British Titanium Products at Wilton died earlier this year from mesothelioma cancer, a rare form of the disease associated with exposure to asbestos fibre.
He had worked for a brief period on Teesside handling asbestos rope, widely used for lagging high temperature facilities.
Now, his wife, Christine is bringing a historic claim against the company, which, like many others, was forced to take out legacy insurance when evidence that asbestos was lethal finally became too compelling for the government to resist in 1975.
“As far as the family is concerned, British Titanium is the only place Peter could have contracted the disease because after he left he went to America to go into academia and then lectured,” says Mark Quigley of Newcastle-based Sintons solicitors, which is handling the case on behalf of Peter’s widow.
Now Mr Quigley is engaged in a grim trawl for evidence of the conditions in which Peter worked from his former colleagues on Teesside.
It’s not the first time, Mr Quigley, who heads up the firm’s industrial disease department, has raked through Teesside’s darker past. Many of his previous cases involved former ICI staff and often came about as a result of workers breaking the lagging around high temperature components to carry out repairs. “Asbestos was widely used because it had incredible heat insulation properties; the downside was that it’s a fibrous material which becomes brittle and breaks into tiny shafts, which can be easily inhaled,” explains Mr Quigley.
Mr Quigley is appealing for anyone who worked alongside Peter to come forward with their experiences - and says he may be able to help others.
“There is still a huge proportion of sufferers who do not bring claims because they do not think there is anybody to pursue, so there’s no point.”
The use of asbestos was banned in the 1970s and legal obligations tightened in 2006 on owners of property with asbestos lagging.
In March, the Government set out proposals for faster compensation to sufferers of mesothelioma.
The proposals guaranteed faster access to justice and compensation, including up-front financial support to people who were previously not eligible. Among those are people who were exposed to asbestos through a relative - for example, from their overalls; exposed to asbestos environmentally, including those living near a factory using asbestos; the self-employed; and those who can’t trace their exposure.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton said the government was “committed to ensuring that everyone with mesothelioma can receive compensation, irrespective of their employment history.”
He promised payouts within six weeks of making a claim.
Anyone with information that may help Mrs Allen’s case for compensation can contact Mark Quigley at Sintons Solicitors 0191 226 4899.
The North East Asbestos Support and Awareness Group in Middlesbrough is a not-for-profit organisation that provides a free advice service for asbestos sufferers and their families. For information, call 01642 240044.
PAGE TWO: The decision which may come back to haunt the House of Lords.
