Open verdict on asbestos death

11:15am Friday 20th July 2007

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AN open verdict has been recorded on the death of a retired teacher from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

Deputy Gloucestershire coroner David Dooley ruled there was no conclusive proof that Gwen Valentin, 63, of Uley, had ever come into contact with the deadly mineral in her working environment.

The inquest in Gloucester heard that in 1968/69 she was working as a French teacher in a Leicester school, where major building works were being carried out and staff and pupils were exposed to dust from it.

But the coroner said the evidence did not show whether any of the dust was from asbestos.

"There is no definite confirmation that asbestos was part of the material being used in that particular school at that time," he said.

"And even if it was there is no proof that it was released into the atmosphere and breathed in by Mrs Valentin.

"Clearly, there has been some asbestos exposure but when and where this occurred or whether it came from ordinary background levels I don't know."

Thanking Mrs Valentin's husband, David, for his own exhaustive researches into his wife's working history and her exposure to building dust in the late Sixties, the deputy coroner said he was forced to record an open verdict.

The inquest heard that Mrs Valentin, of The Street, had been fit and healthy throughout her life until she fell ill with breathing difficulties and was admitted to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in December 2005.

Malignant mesothelioma, a terminal cancer, was diagnosed and she died after being taken back into hospital as an emergency on February 10 this year.

Tests showed she had 91,304 fibres of asbestos per gram of dry lung tissue but the deputy coroner said this was not a great deal higher than the norm of around 80,000 for people who were naturally exposed to asbestos in the atmosphere.

Pathologist Prof Neil Shepherd, who confirmed death was due to mesothelioma, said "If we did a test on all the workers in Shire Hall we would find quite a few with higher levels than this lady and they will be perfectly healthy."

He was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that she died from exposure to asbestos - but how that happened he could not say, he added.