Asbestos contributed to the death of retired carpenter in Bognor Regis

Asbestos contributed to the death of a retired carpenter in Bognor Regis, an inquest heard on Tuesday (June 18).
Crawley Coroner's CourtCrawley Coroner's Court
Crawley Coroner's Court

A documentary inquest at Crawley Coroner’s Court heard that Robert Sharman, 89, worked on building sites in Portsmouth from 1955 to 1968, regularly using quarter of an inch thick asbestos but unaware of the dangers.

Robert, who had a pleural biopsy in London on June 16, 2016, died at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester on May 12 at 11.45pm.

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The coroner’s officer, Melanie Doyle, said: “Robert gave an in-life statement saying he was exposed to asbestos when building houses. It would have been a contributing factor.

Crawley Coroner's CourtCrawley Coroner's Court
Crawley Coroner's Court

“He did not know the dangers and was not given protective clothing or a mask.

“It was found that Robert died from hospital acquired pneumonia, type two diabetes and mesothelioma after a biopsy.”

Assistant coroner for West Sussex, Joanne Andrews said the cause of death was asbestos exposure as a result of Robert’s employment and recorded a conclusion of industrial disease.

The coroner offered her ‘sincerest condolences’ to the family, who were not present at the inquest at Centenary House.

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