Asbestos link to death

3:00pm Monday 28th July 2008

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A BROMYARD woman died from asbestos exposure which she may have suffered when working for Worcestershire County Council, an inquest has heard.

Angela Coldicott, aged 57, worked for the council for more than 30 years.

She contracted mesothelioma in 2006 during her retirement.

She died on January 31 this year at St Michael’s Hospice, Bartestree, after a fall at her home in Tedstone Delamere.

An inquest in Hereford heard from Mrs Coldicott’s GP, Dr Ian Tait, who remembered her concerns over asbestos exposure during her time as a junior clerk and later a senior administrative officer with the county council.

Her husband Robert said his wife had been with the authority all her working life but in different offices, including education.

She had recalled building work resulting in a large amount of dust, thought to be brown asbestos, circulating in the office.

Mr Coldicott told the inquest that, although the farm where the couple lived had asbestos roof sheeting, his wife neither came into contact with nor was exposed to it.

Pathologist Dr Mark Hayes said a post mortem did not reveal asbestos fibres but that did not mean there was no asbestos in her body.

Herefordshire Coroner David Halpern said Mrs Coldicott died from a metastatic malignant mesothelioma.

He said it was difficult to pin down where the exposure had occurred: her job did not seem to expose her to concentrated levels of asbestos.

But he concluded it was “most likely” the asbestos was caused by the dust she mentioned.

He recorded her death as related to employment exposure to asbestos.

Before the inquest, Worcestershire County Council said it was sorry to learn of Mrs Coldicott’s death.