February 23rd, 2007

The widow of a caretaker that passed away allegedly from exposure to asbestos is suing for the death of her late husband. The woman, from the UK, is suing Norfolk County Council over the death of her husband, who she claims was exposed to asbestos while working as a caretaker.

Irene Harris is suing for one hundred and fifty GBP in compensation from the county council, and is making her claim in the High Court after her husband Derek passed away. Mr. Harris worked as a caretaker at the Angel Road First and Middle Schools in Norwich in the 1980s, where he was allegedly exposed to asbestos dust.

Officials from the council have admitted that most of the older schools in the county do contain some level of asbestos, and that it could be decades before this is cleared up. Mr. Harris died at the age of 59 from the asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma.

Mrs. Harris stated: “When my husband worked as a caretaker he was not told of the danger of working with asbestos, and he was never given any protective clothing. I'm sure that there are lots more people suffering or who have died due to the negligence of Norfolk County Council. I also hope that it will act as a wake-up call for those who are suffering to check to see what's wrong with them.”