February 28th, 2007

A woman from the UK claims that she contracted cancer form hugging her father and becoming exposed to asbestos fibers and dust as a result of the physical contact with him. Asbestos is a substance that was once widely used in many industries and for many purposes, and exposure to airborne dust and fibers can result in a variety of health problems including asbestos related cancer known as mesothelioma.

The woman from Devon in the UK is now claiming compensation of seventy five thousand GBP from the UK’s Ministry of Defence, after being diagnosed with lung cancer that she claims she contracted from breathing in asbestos dust and fibers from her father’s clothing when she hugged him as a child.

Debbie Brewer’s father passed away last year from lung cancer. He had worked as an asbestos lagger in 1966 at the Ministry of Defence dockyard in Devonport. According to Ministry of Defence officials there will not be a need for a court case to go ahead, as the MoD intends to settle the claim if it is found liable.

Brewer stated that when her father worked at the dockyard she was just six years of age, and stated that she used to hug her father when he returned home from work each evening.