Pathologist links housewive’s mesothelioma to husband’s work with asbestos

Pamela Whitemore, of Spondon, England, is yet another casualty of second-hand asbestos exposure.  This highly toxic mineral fiber that was used in several industries up until the 1980’s is known to cause several illnesses, such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lungs and other organs.  Whitemore developed a large, cancerous tumor from years of washing her husband’s asbestos-tainted work clothes.  Mr. Whitemore was a truck driver who loaded asbestos by hand.

Whitemore was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, which specifically affects the lining of the lungs, in November at the age of 80.  She died just five days later.  While Whitemore’s case was extreme, many patients with asbestos cancer don’t survive long after diagnosis.  Mesothelioma disease takes decades to develop and only becomes symptomatic once it has reached stage three or four.  The average life expectancy of a patient whose cancer isn’t caught in time for aggressive treatment is about 6 months.  With treatment, life expectancy only increases to about 18 months.

At an inquest into Whitemore’s death, her daughter Jacqueline Higgins explained that during his work as a driver, her father would carry bricks, pipes and slabs and also asbestos.  Of his work clothes, she said, “They were always dirty and dusty. If it was not dirt it was grease – he had a very dirty job,” and also remembered that her mother would “shake them outside the back door, then throw them in the washing machine.”

Pathologist Andrew Hitchcock also testified, explaining that Whitemore had an “extensive” tumor and there was evidence to show it was caused by asbestos exposure. 

“It fits into a well-recognized pattern from my point of view… The link there is very strong. ”