Washing Overalls Causes Asbestos Death

November 30, 2006 - A British woman who never spent any time in a factory where people worked with asbestos has died from the industrial disease, mesothelioma, a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer for which the only known cause is exposure to asbestos.

An autopsy performed on Valerie Rodger, age 70, indicated that the Sandridge, England woman died of malignant mesothelioma. Doctors at Hemel Hempstead Hospital say that Mrs. Rodger was probably exposed to dangerous asbestos through the act of washing her husband’s overalls and other clothing when he returned from work at a nearby chemical factory, located just yards from their home.  Another theory is that asbestos fibers were released into the air when the factory’s roof was dismantled 10 years ago, possibly affecting those who lived nearby.

When Mrs. Rodger developed severe breathing problems and a persistent cough last year, many attributed it to her 15 cigarette per day habit, noted a local Hertfordshire newspaper.  However, testing revealed fluid around her lungs and, subsequently, a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Valerie Rodger died less than a year after her diagnosis, typical of mesothelioma, which is often not diagnosed until it has reached advanced stages and is difficult to treat.