Death of UK Man Prompts Asbestos Investigation

The death of a 62 year old man in the Cotswold region of England has prompted an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his passing. Brian Ratcliff worked during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a fitter of TV antennas. His career brought him into contact with deadly asbestos, as he often had to drill into loft spaces or roofs in order to install the antennas. The county coroner ruled that Ratcliff’s death from malignant mesothelioma was attributable to his work-related asbestos exposure.

Ratcliff’s death was quite sudden. After having initial symptoms around Easter of 2008, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in May of the same year. Despite various treatments, Ratcliff’s condition rapidly deteriorated. On June 13th, 2008, he canceled a treatment session, and passed away that same day. The coroner’s postmortem report indicated that Mr. Ratcliff’s cause of death was bronchopneumonia due to malignant mesothelioma. During the coroner’s inquest into Mr. Ratcliff’s death, it was determined that the county coroner was satisfied with the evidence that showed Ratcliff’s mesothelioma was attributable to his work environment. The county coroner then officially recorded Mr. Ratcliff’s cause of death as industrial disease.

Asbestos can cause a wide range of health issues. Once commonly used in thousands of everyday items, asbestos is now known to be a carcinogen. Airborne asbestos fibers, if inhaled, can become permanently embedded in the human body. Inhaled asbestos can lead to the development of diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and pleural mesothelioma.