Abseiling For The Air We Breathe

Did you know?

• Asbestos still kills around 5,000 workers each year, this is more than the number of people killed on the road.
• It can start with something as simple as a little cough.
• Asbestosis usually develops around 20 - 30 years after you have breathed in asbestos dust.
• There is no cure for asbestosis once it has developed, as it's not possible to reverse the damage to the lungs.
• The UK didn’t stop using until 1999.

---

So what are asbestos related diseases?

• Mesothelioma - a rare and aggressive form of cancer that effects the lungs or the lining of the stomach. More than 2,600 people are diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK. Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 60 to 80, and men are affected more commonly than women. Insurers pay out 200 million pounds a year to Mesothelioma sufferers. It is almost always fatal and most sufferers dying within 2 years of diagnosis. Source - ABI.org.uk
• Lung Cancer - One of the most common and serious types of cancer. Around 44,500 people are diagnosed with the condition every year in the UK. The main symptoms are a cough, breathlessness and weight loss. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
• Asbestosis - a non-malignant scarring of the lung tissue. There's no cure for asbestosis once it has developed, as it's not possible to reverse the damage to the lungs.

​

These diseases are caused by exposure to asbestos and scarily this can be just one single exposure, you may have simply come into contact through washing your husband or wives clothes or you may have been exposed to asbestos for many years and never suffered any ill effects.

However, once diagnosed there is no known cure and from that point forward the focus is on quality of life and pain management.

Caroline Jones - Secretary at DNG Chartered Accountants is working towards increasing awareness of asbestos related diseases in memory of her wonderful late husband Colin Jones who passed away in November 2018 after a 3 year battle against Mesothelioma.

Caroline said “I want to raise as much money as possible for the British Lung Foundation in Colin's memory - with the money being used for research and support connected with this dreadful disease.”

The cause is raising lots of local awareness with support and sponsorship from businesses such as Abbott Rose Consulting LTD. They specialise in construction and facilities focused Health and Safety solutions, including asbestos management. Director John Rose is fully behind raising awareness.

“The mis management of asbestos will continue to be felt for many years. With the gestation period being 20 - 40 years, we have not yet felt the full impact”

It’s not just certain industry sectors at risk:

• carpenters
• plumbers
• electricians
• asbestos miners
• painters
• builders or shipbuilding
• railway engineering
• factories that made asbestos products
• If you travel on the London Underground you could have been exposed

In fact any building constructed before 2000 could contain asbestos. Therefore, anyone carrying out work, either commercially or DIY at home, could be exposing themselves, or others to the horrors of asbestos and the related illnesses.

Can I Claim Compensation?

If you are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible for compensation or financial assistance. Please visit the British Lung Foundation website for more information and links to the gov.uk page. 

With the above in mind and for her own personal reasons Caroline is conquering one of her own fears by abseiling down the lift tower in Northampton on 17th August 2019.

“I have done many crazy things in my life but this is the one thing that absolutely terrifies me and I personally have put this off for many years.”

Northampton Express Lift Tower is the UK’s tallest abseiling centre. It stands an enormous 418 feet high (127 meters). It dwarfs the skyline of Northampton and has been used as an abseiling centre since 2011.  

Caroline would be most grateful for any support you can offer her and the British Lung Foundation. Please visit her Just Giving page to make a donation.