Workplace mesothelioma diagnosis – Liam Bradley’s story

Nowadays it seems as though the risk of death resulting from work should be nil, and that life-threatening work environments are essentially (and rightfully) a thing of the past.

For roofer Liam Bradley, though, the harsh reality of a silent danger at work reared its head when he received news resulting from an incidental discovery of ‘suspicious white flecks’ on one of his lungs.

This anomaly turned out to be incurable mesothelioma, which completely uprooted the lives of not only Liam, but his partner and daughter – Bryony and Neveah – too. As Liam wrote, “I couldn’t bear the though of leaving [Neveah], of her growing up without a daddy”.

Mesothelioma is most commonly associated with asbestos, with more than 80%¹ of patients having a history of exposure. Asbestos-related cancers like mesothelioma have led to the suffering of millions of people resulting from exposure often without knowledge.

Pleural mesothelioma develops in the tissue lining which protects the lungs from the ribs in the process of breathing. While blue and brown asbestos are strongly linked with mesothelioma, white asbestos more recently has also been thought to be very dangerous.

Asbestos was used widely as an insulator due to its effective properties of heat and sound insulation, fire and water resistance and general low expense².

Despite dangers being associated with its use in the 1960s, the use of asbestos was only fully banned in the UK as a result of the 1999 Asbestos Prohibition (Amendment) Regulations and following laws. Despite this, cases of its presence and continued use seem to appear all too often; with life-threatening effects for ordinary people like Liam being the ultimate consequence.

Liam’s diagnosis was a result of a surgery to reinflate and temporarily glue a collapsed lung after an injury in September 2015 left him conscious of his health, meaning a fall at a soft play area that caused him to feel nauseous in November 2016 led him to take a visit to the hospital. A biopsy taken on the flecks on his lungs left Liam and his partner distraught. As Liam puts it, “I knew exactly where it was from”.

A newbuild property Liam had worked on in 2006 seemed to be the cause. He recalls the site manager suggesting he washed his hands at lunch as there was evidence of asbestos and no personal protective equipment given. As is often the case with asbestos-related cancer, Liam’s mesothelioma likely did not develop on his lungs for a long period.

In some, it may not even develop until 60 years post-exposure³. Similarly, Liam remained active and working full-time throughout the entire time since – experiencing zero symptoms and no indication that there could be something seriously wrong with his body.

Unfortunately, the cancer will still eventually end Liam’s life. In the meantime, he and Bryony have learned to live life as it comes and not to worry until the cancer does get worse.

They have since had two more daughters and Liam has made the most of his healthy condition by cycling over 200 miles to raise £1,000 for mesothelioma UK and a 55-mile memory walk for his grandma, who died of the same type of cancer.

It’s nice to see the positive side of Liam’s ordeal, and in the years after his diagnosis, legal action against his past employer awarded him with the knowledge that his growing family will have security when the cancer finally does catch up with him.

He and Bryony also purchased an apartment in Spain, giving back to those with mesothelioma by raffling a free week’s stay every month for the families or staff of those suffering.

Sources

Metro – News Article

1: Asbestos Cancer – Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer & Other Cancers

2: Why Was Asbestos Used In So Many Building Products? – HASpod

3: Risks and causes of mesothelioma | Cancer Research UK

Further reading

Mesothelioma claims – Oakwood Solicitors

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