(Left: Edna White, around the time she worked at Lorival Plastics. Right: Edna with her grandchildren.)
In the United Kingdom as it is here in the United States, millions of people who worked in mills, plants, factories, construction sites, shipyards and in maintenance and repair were exposed to asbestos. The late Mrs. Edna White was one of those exposed to asbestos, which her family believed--and as the court recently ruled--happened while Mrs. White worked at Lorvial Plastics in Bolton (near Manchester) in the 1960s.
In an article last year, Mrs. White's daughter Jill Blake asked her mother's former coworkers to come forward with more information about Mrs. White's time at the Lorival Plastics:
Her daughter, who was a child when her mother worked at Lorival Plastics, wants to know exactly which job she did there.
It is believed asbestos was used in the factory, which specialised in injection-moulded plastic products, to manufacture toilet cisterns and Mrs Blake believes she came into contact with it there.
In the 2010 article, Ms. Blake noted that her mother died of mesothelioma at the age of 68 in 2009, and that this did not have to be the case:
"She was so active before she was diagnosed with mesothelioma. ...A consultant who treated her said she would probably have had another 20 years if she had not had this disease - and that hurts."
Ms. Blake's efforts on behalf of her mother paid off:
Several people came forward to tell the family about Mrs White's work and contact with the deadly material [while] she was employed by the Little Lever company, which no longer exists, in the 1960s.
The information has brought Mrs White’s family justice, as well as answers as to how their mother came into contact with asbestos, as their legal battle has now been settled.
Anthony Bolton, identified in The Bolton News' April 6, 2011 article on the verdict in favor of Mrs. White's
surviving family, said of the effect Ms. Blake's plea for help had on the case:
“Edna worked as a time and motion monitor.When her family first approached us for help we had no first hand information about her work history or working conditions at Lorival Plastics.
“But following a witness appeal in The Bolton News we were contacted by several people, including one star witness who proved invaluable to the progression of the case.
“Although nothing can make up for their tragic loss, Edna’s family now have the closure they need to move on and rebuild their lives.”
Edna White's family sought help from both the community of Bolton and Little Lever, and from a mesothelioma lawyer. No one could give Mrs. White's family what they really wanted--twenty more years with their mother and grandmother--but, in Ms. Blake's words,
“It’s good to have answers but it’s been mixed feelings really, we are still dealing with our loss. It shows The Bolton News readers really can make a difference and we are very grateful.We hope this will encourage other people to answer appeals and raise awareness of asbestos and its impact.”
We are glad that Mrs. White's family received the mesothelioma compensation they deserve, and we hope that all victims of asbestos exposure continue to explore their legal rights and asbestos legal options.
