Cumbrian nuclear expert’s death due to asbestos

By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 11:52, Thursday, 29 September 2011

A former nuclear physicist who was exposed to asbestos at work died as a result of an industrial disease an inquest has ruled.

Francis Graham Brightman, 77, of Beach Road, St Bees, died at his home in November last year.

A post mortem concluded that Mr Brightman died as a result of bronco-pneumonia caused by malignant mesothelioma – cancer of the pleura, which is a covering of the lungs. He was diagnosed in 2008.

Susan Brightman, his daughter, said: “My father was immensely grateful for the medical treatment that he had.”

She said: “He is the first of the scientific staff at Sellafield who has developed malignant mesothelioma. This has raised concerns about people who worked with my father.”

In a statement from the late Mr Brightman, he said he worked as a nuclear physicist from 1954 until 1990 at Windscale and Ayrshire.

He started work at Windscale in 1954 as a research and development worker.

In 1956 he was elected a graduate by the UKAEA. He worked in Cumbria until 1974 before moving to Ayrshire for five years.

He returned to Windscale in 1979 until he retired in 1990.

The inquest heard that during this time, Mr Brightman was exposed to asbestos while he walked from his place of work through the turbines halls at the Windscales site.

In the statement, Mr Brightman also said he was exposed to asbestos while he worked at the UKAEA site in Scotland.

West Cumbria coroner David Roberts, said: “I accept Mr Brightman’s statement which says he would have been working in areas where asbestos was used. I find that the development of malignant mesothelioma was caused by asbestos. I am satisfied that the cause of death is as a result of an industrial disease.”

He added: “In terms of lessons to be learnt, you only have to see people working with asbestos now to see that work has been done to protect people.

“Those lessons have been learnt in terms of long-term exposure.”

First published at 11:30, Thursday, 29 September 2011
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk