Lawyers Hope to Gain Evidence in Asbestos Case

January 12, 2007 - Lawyers for a British man who recently died of mesothelioma are trying to gather evidence against the joinery company for which he worked for several years.

The Barking and Dagenham Recorder reports that solicitors representing the widow of Alan Irwin Davis are searching for former employees of the Manor Joinery Works Ltd., located in the town of Barking, so that they can build a case against the now-defunct company.

Davis worked for Manor Joinery from 1961 to 1973, where they manufactured fire doors.  His job involved cutting the asbestos that was used for the door lining.  After he left Manor, Davis worked for another company – Demar Joinery – where he did similar work.  He died at the age of 74, only months after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer for which the only known cause is asbestos exposure.

"When he got ill, he immediately realized that his condition was connected with his work making fire doors because he had cut up asbestos that gave off dust and fibers which he was convinced he must have breathed in. He was never provided with a dust mask," said Davis’ widow. 

"He declined very quickly after being diagnosed with mesothelioma following an X-ray. He was in an awful lot of pain and needed constant morphine. He was discharged from hospital on Christmas Eve, 2004, and died at home a few weeks later. His last months were terrible for both of us," she said.

"We would like to trace any people (who used to work with Mr. Davis and has suffered with asbestos-related illnesses) to gain further information which could throw valuable light on the working conditions and exposure to asbestos to help Brenda Davis obtain the compensation she so clearly deserves," Davis’ lawyer told the newspaper.