Family appeal for information into Chesterfield man's asbestos-related cancer death

Father-of-two Norman Rhodes died aged 87 in 2015 but it was not until after his death that his family discovered he had been suffering with mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos exposure decades earlier.

In the time before his death, Norman suffered from regular chest infections, chest pains and also difficulty breathing. He worked at a number of companies in the Chesterfield area, including at Markham & Co between 1943 and 1953 as an apprentice maintenance electrician, before moving to Chesterfield Royal where he worked until 1975 as a maintenance electrician.

His daughter Christine said: “Nearly eight months on, the whole family are still in complete shock and to know he died from an asbestos-related illness is heart-breaking. We now need to know how this happened.”

Mr Rhodes’ widow, Norma, and children, Andrew and Christine, have instructed specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help them find answers.

Helen England, a specialist asbestos related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing the family, said: “Mesothelioma is an aggressive and incurable cancer and has devastating consequences for sufferers and their loved ones. Sadly, despite employers knowing how dangerous it is, many in the past did not do enough to manage the risks of asbestos exposure to protect their employees.”

Contact Helen England at Irwin Mitchell on 0207 421 3856 or email [email protected]