Diagnosed with mesothelioma
The family of a former pottery worker who died from an asbestos-related cancer are calling for information about their father’s exposure to the dust.
Austin Cotton from Stoke on Trent was 80-years-old when he died in September 2012, just two months after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
Mr Cotton’s diagnosis came when an x-ray - which had been taken after he suffered a fall - highlighted a shadow on his lungs.
Family instructed industrial disease specialists Thompsons Solicitors
Following his death, his family instructed industrial disease specialists Thompsons Solicitors to investigate his case.
Mr Cotton worked as a mould maker for J Gimson & Company, a pottery firm in Fenton, Staffordshire from 1950 to 1972. The company is now owned by Norton Industrial Chemicals.
His daughter, Gillian Cooper, is calling on anyone who worked on at the pottery firm at the time to get in touch.
She said: “Up until my dad’s fall he was fit and healthy for his age so it came as a huge shock to be told he was suffering from a terminal disease. He became extremely poorly very quickly and it wasn’t until after his death that we considered the implications of what had caused the mesothelioma in the first place.
“We’d like to hear from anyone who either worked alongside my father at J Gimson & Company or was employed in a similar role during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970’s.
Worked at J Gimson & Company during the 1950s to 1972
Victoria Roberts from Thompsons Solicitors added: “It is important we build up a picture of Mr Cotton’s exposure to asbestos. We are interested in speaking to anyone who worked at J Gimson & Company during the 1950s to 1972 to find out more about the type of materials that workers may have been exposed to.”
Anyone who can help can contact Victoria Roberts on 0800 0 224 224 or by email on enquiries@thompsons.law.co.uk.
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If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we can support you with advice on how to make a claim.
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