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Inquest: Asbestos caused ex-worker’s death
AN ENGINEER died as a result of his exposure to asbestos at a factory in Peterborough, an inquest has heard.
John Ptolomey (60), of Redmile Walk, Welland, Peterborough, died on December 4 after suffering from lung disease.
Peterborough Coroner’s Court heard yesterday how he had worked at a SodaStream factory as an engineer between 1980 and 1991, where he was exposed to asbestos.
As part of his job he would handle boxes that were given an asbestos lining for resistance as part of his work on the production line, but he was never given a mask while handling them.
Coroner Gordon Ryall said: “He died as a consequence to his exposure to asbestos.
“He died from the industrial disease of diffuse pulmonary fibrosis, which it is not unusual to suffer from years after exposure to asbestos.”
The verdict was heard by four of Mr Ptolomey’s family members, including his widow Angela (57), who wept during the 30-minute hearing.
A statement written by Mr Ptolomey and signed by him a month before his death was read out to the court.
In the statement Mr Ptolomey said: “I was never provided a mask to wear and I was never warned that what I was doing was dangerous.
“When I pulled the cylinder out I saw white bits of asbestos going into the atmosphere.
“I used to go home covered in white bits all over me. I needed new gloves on a daily basis as the heat burned them off.”
He died at Peterborough City Hospital after suffering from lung disease.
Dr Dalibor Stratil, who performed the post mortem, said: “In my opinion the death was due to unnatural causes and occupational asbestos exposure is undoubted.
“He died from respiratory failure due to having diffuse pulmonary fibrosis. Asbestos can be clinically manifested in later years and that is not unusual.
“The main problem was in the lungs but there was also respiratory failure due to a mild thickening of the arteries, causing cardio-vascular problems.
“In my opinion the death was due to unnatural causes and occupational asbestos exposure is undoubted.”
The inquest heard that Mr Ptolomey was promoted in 1991, leaving his job as an engineer on the production line for SodaStream.
In 2003 the SodaStream factory in Woodston, Peterborough, was closed and operations were moved to Germany.
He first started suffering from lung disease in March 2009, when he was admitted to a respiratory clinic because he had a dry cough.
He underwent a biopsy at Papworth Hospital in June 2009 that showed asbestosis, a disease caused by exposure to asbestos, was the most likely cause for the lung problems from which he was suffering.
For the next year and a half he underwent a number of treatments, including receiving antibiotics, steroids and being put under consideration for a lung transplant.
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Wednesday 22 February 2012
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