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My journey with mesothelioma
I first went to my doctors’ in October 2018. I was told that my breathlessness on walking uphill was normal for my age. But in February 2019 an x-ray revealed fluid on my left lung. Three months later I had the fluid removed in the Royal Stoke Hospital. A biopsy confirmed my diagnosis of mesothelioma.…
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Nintedanib: New hope for asbestosis patients
Our cells (including those in the lung) are subject to damage from infections and other abnormal materials (including asbestos). When the repair process is upset or altered in some way this can lead to a change in the structure of the tissue, which we call “fibrosis”. How asbestosis affects patients Some people with asbestosis develop…
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Six clues to knowing if your school contains asbestos
The Spanish website elEconomista.es has published a list of six simple clues to knowing if your school, or your children’s or grandchildren’s school, contains asbestos. It seemed such a good idea that we thought we would adapt it to our situation in England and Wales. The six clues Was the school built between 1950 and…
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Misleading pledges to tackle cancer
The government has been accused of repeating existing pledges to create an illusion that it is ‘doubling down on cancer’. The prime minister used a visit to a cancer centre in Kent to announce two ‘new’ care standards to ensure that patients with cancer get diagnosed more quickly. His first pledge was that 75% of…
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Coming to terms with uncertainty
Benjamin Franklin, one of the architects of the America constitution, wrote in a letter to a friend, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” It wasn’t an original idea. He borrowed this joke from the forgotten English playwright Christopher Bullock. But he made it famous. All of us…
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Dogged research by his solicitor leads to a just and fair settlement 50 years after Mr Lovell was exposed to lethal asbestos
One of our service users, who believes he was exposed to asbestos for just two weeks in Devon in the mid-1960s, has secured compensation thanks to a forensic investigation to trace the company he believed was responsible. Brian was cutting up and nailing asbestos sheets Brian Lovell was diagnosed with mesothelioma more than 50 years…
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A personal view of mesothelioma by Rob Harper
It seems many years ago now that I was asked by Doug Jewell, who was then the manager of Asbestos Support Central England (ASCE)), if the Clarion Choir would sing for Action Mesothelioma Day. Clarion have long been prepared to support and raise awareness of issues that affect working people and their families so they…
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Making the most of the holidays when you have an asbestos related disease
Christmas is often seen as a special time for renewing contact with family and friends. This is when we create memories that we’ll cherish for months and sometimes years to come. But for people facing health challenges it can be a difficult time. Lisa Hyde-Barrett from the American organisation Mesothelioma Help says, “When your world…
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Buying presents for people with asbestos related diseases
At this time of year you will find seasonal blogs telling you what to buy, and not to buy, for friends and loved ones who have an asbestos related disease. We’ve read them for you, so you don’t have to! Here are some suggestions. Tempting treats Sometimes people lose their appetite, or their tastebuds change,…
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An asbestos register for a school is no use when people forget to look at it!
The government, and some non-governmental organisations, argue that it is safe to leave asbestos in schools and other public buildings, so long as there is a register of where the asbestos has been found. A case, brought to court by the Health and Safety Executive, shows this policy does not work. The school did have…
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