An ex-SAS operative who claimed to have suffered from toxic fumes due to ISIS explosions, has tragically passed away, just months after initiating a substantial £200,000 lawsuit against his employers, CNN.

Adam Dobby, aged 54, died at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital on October 30, following acute heart failure and a collapsed lung. His untimely death is currently under investigation, with an inquest having commenced at Oxford Coroner’s Court on December 2. Initial findings revealed that Mr. Dobby had been subjected to harmful substances throughout his professional life.

Once a robust soldier, capable of enduring 56-hour ultra-marathons, Dobby transitioned into the role of a security consultant, operating in the volatile regions of Iraq and Syria from 2015 to 2016. During his tenure, he alleged that inadequate protection from his employers left him vulnerable to the hazardous fumes released when ISIS set oil wells ablaze.

In a significant development earlier this year, Mr. Dobby took legal action against CNN, seeking compensation for the severe damage to his lung, which, according to his claims, deteriorated to the point where a transplant became necessary.

Mr Dobby said he was not properly protected by his employers in the warzone, causing him to be exposed to fumes when the terror group ISIS torched oil wells.

And in June, it emerged he was suing CNN for hundreds of thousands of pounds over claims one of his lungs was so damaged he requires a transplant.

But the American broadcaster denied liability, claiming Mr Dobby worked in the same areas as its news crews – and that no risk of respiratory issues was ever identified. 

Tributes have poured in for Mr Dobby following his death, who served his country between 1993 and 2000.

Adam Dobby, 54, passed away at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on October 30 after suffering from acute heart failure and lung collapse

He also turned his hand to war photography and has exhibited his work at galleries near his home in Gloucestershire and in London.

One friend posted on Facebook: ‘I was first introduced to Adam a few years back and we seemed to just connect – he was one of the kindest, most genuine souls I’ve known.

‘And his work! Photography that stopped me in my tracks. His vision to bring to light stories from conflict – of the people truly affected by the brutal fighting which continues to dominate our news.’

Another added: RIP Adam Dobby. This is one occasion when rest in peace is so appropriate.’ 

‘You faced so many battles but soldiered on. I know you’ve finally found the peace that was so hard to find here on Earth. Rest easy now, my friend.’

According to documents lodged at the High Court, Mr Dobby was working as an independent contractor when he was exposed to hazardous fumes. 

His job involved providing advice to news crews, acting as a liaison with locals and accompanying them on their expeditions across Iraq and Northern Syria.

At that time, Islamic State had begun a tactic of damaging oil well heads and chemical plants and setting fires to create thick plumes of smoke and fumes to disguise their activities.

Mr Dobby had launched legal action against CNN at London’s High Court over claims one of his lungs was damaged so much he requires a transplant

‘During this period of time, Mr Dobby was required to work in an atmosphere which was constantly poisoned by the smoke and fume contained within these plumes,’ his barrister, Michael Rawlinson KC said.

But despite the noxious pollutants in the air, Mr Dobby said he was not provided with adequate PPE or training by CNN. 

He said the result was that he had ‘regularly and persistently inhaled a cocktail of soot, smoke and fumes,’ which included sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, among other chemicals. 

Mr Dobby claimed he first noticed an ‘insidious onset of shortness of breath’ around 2017. 

He said it then worsened in 2022, before he was diagnosed with obliterative bronchiolitis – a lung disease which damages small airways – in 2023.

He said his disease is down to the inhalation of toxic fumes and CNN is responsible because he was not adequately protected while working for them.

Previously ‘supremely fit’ – to the point he was able in 2007 to complete a 190-mile Libyan Challenge ultra-marathon, Mr Dobby’s barrister said he was left needing a lung transplant. 

In its defence to the action, CNN barrister Jayne Adams KC said: ‘At all material times, the duties of Mr Dobby required him to provide security advice for and to assess the risks to the journalist teams on the ground.

‘He was required to look after the safety of the team. In so far as there were any risks which were outside his experience and expertise, he was required to liaise with his security lead.

‘If there was a particular issue, for example the risk of fume and/or dust exposure, he would have been expected to have raised it and to have procured any equipment that was needed.

Fire crews work to extinguish a burning oil well set on fire  by ISIS on the outskirts of Qayyarah on December 23, 2016 in Qayyarah, Iraq

‘It is denied that during the time that Mr Dobby carried out these services, there was known to be any issue with dust and/or fume.

‘Further or in the alternative, it is denied that there was any foreseeable risk of injury arising from any exposure to dust and/or fume.

‘Mr Dobby worked in the same areas and under the same conditions as many of the news crews and their security. It is denied that any known risk and/or issue with respiratory difficulties arose either at the time or subsequently.

‘When there was a risk of chemical weapons being utilised, suitable PPE was provided. There were also 3M masks in the PPE bags provided and taken with the crews.

‘It was not an environment in which these were habitually required.

‘It is not admitted that Mr Dobby was regularly or significantly exposed to substances giving rise to the risk of injury to health. 

‘He must prove the fact and extent of exposure and the relative potency of the substances to which he alleges he was exposed strictly.’

She also said Mr Dobby had agreed a ‘termination of independent contractor’s agreement’ when he left CNN in which he was paid a sum and agreed to release the company from any claims he had against it.

‘In the circumstances, the defendant contends that Mr Dobby has compromised any right he may have to bring a claim and denies that he now has any such entitlement,’ she said.

The case was yet to go before a judge and it is unclear if there were any developments since the lodging of the documents.  

The Daily Mail has contacted CNN for comment. 

A full inquest into Mr Dobby’s death has been adjourned until March 30 next year at 10am.