More white collar asbestos victims

A former benefits officer and a nurse are the latest workplace victims of mesothelioma.

A former benefits officer and a nurse are the latest workplace victims of mesothelioma, the incurable asbestos cancer. The ex-benefits officer, who does not want to be named, has received almost £170,000 in damages after being exposed to asbestos in his office. The man, from Bury, was exposed while working at Prestwich Unemployment Benefit Office during the late 70s and early 80s. He worked for the Department for Work and Pensions for 30 years before retiring in 2000. The claimant was given a letter from his department in 1984 saying asbestos had been found throughout his office. He had kept the letter and it became crucial in his securing a payout. Tony Whitston from the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group said: 'This case demonstrates the shocking fact that office workers are vulnerable to asbestos exposure if asbestos is not properly managed in buildings.' Former nurse Margaret Forster, 68, is another mesothelioma victim and is appealing to her one-time colleagues for help in pursuing a claim against her former employers. Margaret believes she developed the condition after being exposed to asbestos dust at hospitals in Sunderland. She said: 'I feel disgruntled because I've worked all those years in the NHS helping patients to get better and now I've been the victim. I loved nursing.' She believes she came into contact with asbestos dust in basements while at the old Sunderland Royal Infirmary, Monkwearmouth Hospital and Sunderland Eye Infirmary.