A retired fitter died of a lung cancer directly linked with exposure to asbestos, Dublin City Coroner's Court heard yesterday.
Mr Michael Sheppard of Elm Mount Road, Beaumont, Dublin, died at his home on April 23rd last.
A post-mortem examination revealed that he died due to mesothelioma, a relatively uncommon form of cancer which has been linked directly with exposure to asbestos.
The inquest was told that Mr Sheppard worked for Cadburys for 33 years. He worked mainly in the boiler room where he was exposed to asbestos. Lung cancer was suspected but could not be confirmed.
The Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, said when she carried out an autopsy on Mr Sheppard she found the right chest cavity was obliterated by a tumour which she identified as a mesothelioma.
She said she also found asbestos fibres in the lung tissue and said there was a direct link between asbestos and mesothelamia. There was no other known cause for mesothelioma in this part of the world, she said.
A medical report by Prof McElvaney of Beaumont Hospital, which was read to the inquest, stated Mr Sheppard complained of chest pains and shortness of breath on exertion.
During his working life he had occasion to scrape asbestos lagging away from pipes to repair them and also had welded over asbestos.
The jury returned a verdict that death was due to industrial disease. Dr Thomas Donnelly, an inspector with the Health and Safety Authority, said legislation on the levels of asbestos allowed in the workplace was in effect since 1972 and the regulations were being tightened regularly.
Ireland was fully in line with the rest of the EU on the permitted levels, he said.