MEN WHO worked in the construction industry 40 years ago or more, when asbestos was commonly used as a building material, should keep a close eye on their health, an inquest heard yesterday.
Michael John O'Donovan, whose father John (67) died from an asbestos-related cancer, has urged builders to get checked out early by their doctors if they experience breathing problems or sudden tiredness.
He was speaking at Cork City Coroner's court yesterday, after the inquest into the death of his father from mesothelioma in August 2007. Mr O'Donovan said his father had been a fit, healthy man who never drank or smoked.
He said men who had worked in the building profession 40 years ago should watch out for symptoms and those in the medical profession should be mindful of the risk of asbestos-related cancer.
John O'Donovan, from Villa Maria, Coole West, Carrignavar, Co Cork, died at Marymount Hospice in Cork city. His wife Mary told the inquest her husband had worked as a carpenter for more than 40 years. As an apprentice in Clonakilty, he had installed an asbestos roof. After he retired in May 2007, he started complaining of pain in his arms and was diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane pointed out the time between exposure to asbestos and the development of cancer was typically 30 to 40 years. She said back in the 1960s, nobody really knew about the dangers of the hazardous building material.
She recorded a verdict of death due to an occupational disease.
