February 6th, 2007

A man from Hereford in the UK has reportedly died as a result of being exposed to asbestos while working for one of the UK’s largest and most famous confectionery firms. The inquest heard that the Hereford man was working for chocolate giant Cadbury’s when he was exposed to the carcinogenic material, which is known to cause a range of health problems including asbestos related cancer called mesothelioma.

Robert Wilfred Dando died on September 11th last year, and the verdict relating to the death was recorded by the coroner, David Halpern, as industrial exposure to asbestos. The 73 year-old man passed away in a hospice from the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma, which is directly linked to exposure to asbestos dust and fibers over the long term or at high levels.

The verdict recorded by the coroner stated: "We took samples of Mr. Dando's lungs for analysis and asbestos fibres were found. The exposure was likely to have happened in industrial circumstances and would not have occurred naturally."

The brother of the deceased stated: "Robert told me that he had been exposed to asbestos while working at a Cadbury factory in Ireland when he was supervising some building work. He said the site was covered in dust from asbestos cladding on pipe work." The coroner added: "Often when we look back to find out when that exposure would have happened, many years have passed. In this case, we do have an indication of when and where it came about."