'Asbestos' death ruled accidental

Please provide any information you think may be helpful to mesothelioma victimd and their familiesThe death of a man believed to be the youngest victim of asbestos-related cancer was today ruled to have been accidental.
Barry Welch, a 32-year-old father of three, died in April last year after an 11-month battle against mesothelioma.
It is believed he may have contracted the illness as a child after being exposed to asbestos dust and fibres brought home on his stepfather's overalls.
The inquest, at Leicester coroners court, heard how Roger Bugby had worked as a scaffolder at Kingsnorth power station, in Kent, between 1977 and 1979.



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Lawyers representing Mr Welch's family said Mr Bugby was regularly exposed to asbestos at the plant. He would return home with asbestos dust covering his overalls, his skin and in his hair.
Before Mr Bugby changed out of his overalls, his stepson would often sit on his lap, exposing him to the dust and fibres, Adrian Budgen, of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said.
Mr Welch was also exposed to asbestos when his mother shook the dust from her husband's clothes before washing them.
Dr Clive Muatero, consultant oncologist at Leicester Royal Infirmary, said it was a "reasonable supposition" that Mr Welch's illness had been caused by his exposure to asbestos.
He died at Leicestershire Hospice on April 27 last year from aggressive malignant mesothelioma.
The coroner, Martin Syminton, today recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said a verdict of natural causes would be inappropriate because of Mr Welch's previous exposure to asbestos.
Mr Welch, who was unemployed, left a wife, Claire, and daughters, Natasha, 12, Samantha, 10, and seven-year-old Letitia.
The case is thought to be a landmark in asbestos-related illnesses. Previous mesothelioma cases have involved women who washed their husbands' asbestos-covered overalls over many years.
An inquest in October this year into the death of 75-year-old Mary Smith, of Burley, Hampshire, ruled she had died of an industrial disease. A postmortem examination revealed the presence of asbestos.
However, Mr Welch's case is the first in which a child could have contracted the illness after asbestos particles were transferred from the work place into the home.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors said they were now planning legal action on behalf of Mr Welch's family. "The dust clearly came from the power station. That's the evidence we will present in our legal action," Adrian Budgen said.
Asbestos was widely used in the shipbuilding and construction industry until the early 80s, but symptoms can take up to 50 years to develop.
Exposure to asbestos dust causes pleural plaques - areas of thickening in the lung lining - that are benign. In a small percentage of cases, exposure can lead to the incurable cancer mesothelioma.
Around 1,800 people die of asbestos-related each year in the UK each year, but medical officials say this number has not yet peaked. There are around 14,000 claims for compensation for pleural plaques every year.
Insurers estimate claims will cost up to £10bn over the next 40 years as the number of cases rise.