Two grieving sisters have warned of the hidden risks of ‘safe’ workplaces, after their mother died from an aggressive cancer caused by inhaling toxic fibres emitted from building materials. 

Carole Hart died just a month after being diagnosed with mesothelioma—a lethal type of cancer that affects the lining of the body’s organs. 

Between 85 and 95 per cent of cases are caused by exposure to asbestos, a group of toxic materials used widely in the construction industry before the millenium.

The majority of patients worked on building or electrical sites, where they were exposed to asbestos over a long period of time, leading to chronic inhalation of cancer-causing chemicals.

But Ms Hart, who died in August last year at the age of 74, worked for home decor and electronics firms. 

Her daughters, Anette Graham, 53, and Tracey Phillips, 57, believe the deadly exposure may have taken place between the years of 1965 and 1993. 

During this period, she worked firstly in the factory for electronics store Thorn EMI—where she was a packer—and then in the factory of decor company Belling & Co Limited.

The sisters along with their legal team are now appealing to their mother’s former colleagues to come forward with information to help establish where she came into contact with asbestos.

Carole Hart with her heartbroken daughters Tracey Phillips and Annette Graham

‘While there’s nothing we can do to change what happened or bring mum back, the least we can do is get some answers to help honour her memory,’ said Ms Graham. 

Mesothelioma is slow forming, typically developing between 20 to 60 years after the initial asbestos exposure. 

The rate at which it develops can vary based on factors like the person’s age at first exposure, the amount exposed to, and the duration of the exposure.    

Ms Hart began to develop symptoms in December 2023, 30 years after she stopped working in the factories. 

She initially though her problems—breathlessness and chest pain—were down to  pneumonia.

But by July 2024, her symptoms had worsened and she began to suffer terrifying seizures, leading her to seek the help of doctors at A&E. 

Shortly afterwards she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, with further scans showing the disease had already spread to her brain. 

Ms Graham said: ‘When mum was taken to hospital not for one minute did we expect her to be diagnosed with mesothelioma. 

Ms Hart worked at Belling & Co with her late husband, Ron (pictured)

‘It wasn’t a condition we knew anything about. To then hear how advanced it was, and to watch mum deteriorate so quickly, was heartbreaking.’

She died a month later, on August 30 2024.

 ‘It’s still incredibly difficult for us to accept she’s gone,’ said Ms Graham. ‘She was the best mum and her friends described her as a generous and charismatic lady.’

Inhaling asbestos’ microscopic fibres can cause lung cancers (including mesothelioma), as well as asbestosis, an excruciating inflammation and scarring of the lungs.

The condition is responsible for around 2,400 deaths each year, according to Cancer Research UK.

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that 1.3 million tradespeople are at risk of exposure, and they could come into contact with asbestos on average more than 100 times a year

Approximately 5,000 Britons die every year from asbestos-related cancers caused by work-related exposure, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

Most cases are diagnosed among people aged 75 or over, with men more often affected than women.

Natalia Rushworth-White, the specialist asbestos disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family said: ‘Losing Carole so soon after her diagnosis continues to have a devastating impact on her loved ones, particularly her daughters.

‘Mesothelioma is a horrible condition and far too many families have suffered because of it.

‘Nothing will ever change what Carole’s family are going through, but we’re determined to provide them with the answers they deserve.’