COVERED IN ASBESTOS DUST

On 12th April 2007, thisishull.co.uk reported that for years Hull dock workers had worked surrounded by asbestos - painfully unaware they were dicing with death.

At its peak in the 1960s, the port of Hull employed about 6,000 dockers.Many of them either worked in asbestos-filled ships, or even handled the substance as it was imported to this country.

About 1,900 people die each year in the UK from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Many former dock workers from Hull and the East Riding were affected, although the actual number is not known.

Former docker Allan Lamb, 64, of Beverley Road, South Cave, recalled workers walking home covered in asbestos dust.Many boats used for general cargos transported asbestos, but they were never cleaned and asbestos dust would remain in the vessels and on the beams.

Allan worked on the docks between 1962 and 1982. His father Albert, who also worked at the docks, died of mesothelioma in 1989 aged 79.

Although they did not come in direct contact with asbestos, harmful particles frequently stuck to clothing. At the end of a day, workers would be covered in white dust. Asbestos used to stay on ships for weeks - there was no way of getting rid of it. You could see it.

To read the full article please follow the link below:

http://www.thisishull.co.uk/displayNode.jspnodeId=136242&command=displayContent&sourceNode=228411&home=yes&more_nodeId1=136251&contentPK=17088748