Scunthorpe widow calls for measures to prevent people dying from asbestos related diseases after loss of her husband

The widow of a man who died from cancer caused by exposure to asbestos has called for measures to be taken to prevent similar deaths.

An inquest at Cleethorpes Town Hall heard Leonard Tong, 62, of Rochester Close, Scunthorpe, was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in May.

He died at home on June 3.

Mr Tong's wife, Glynis, said the only time she could think he would have been exposed to asbestos was when he worked as a builder's mate.

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This was between 1966 and 1978 and was before the couple met.

Mrs Tong said: "Something has to be done to prevent people dying from asbestos-related diseases.

"I would hate another family to go through what we have."

Mrs Tong said in November last year, her husband was taken to hospital complaining of chest pains, and a scan revealed a shadow in his lung.

On a subsequent visit to hospital in May this year, doctors told him he had an asbestos-related disease and that it "did not look good".

Mrs Tong said: "It was a massive shock to us, as he has led a healthy life.

"He was a big family man and loved his children Rosslyn and Ian. We had a happy life."

Born in Taunton in 1949, Mr Tong met his future wife while they were both on a singles holiday in Scotland in 1981.

He worked as a cabinet maker in Surrey from 1978 to 1982, before moving to Scunthorpe so the couple could get married.

Mrs Tong said: "After, he was a litter picker for North Lincolnshire Council and really enjoyed his job.

"He would meet a lot of people and would always chat away to anyone he met. He was a very friendly person."

The inquest heard a post mortem examination found the cause of death to be malignant mesothelioma, with coronary artery disease a contributing factor.

Coroner Paul Kelly recorded that Mr Tong died as the result of an industrial disease.

He said: "The mesothelioma was not, compared with some cases, that far advanced.

"But Mr Tong did have quite serious coronary artery disease, which caused him to succumb rather sooner to the mesothelioma than otherwise might have been the case.

"Asbestos was found in the person of Mr Tong. That, together with his working history which indicated that he was likely to have been exposed to asbestos whilst working as a builder's mate between 1966 and 1978, persuades me to record that Leonard Tong died as a result of an industrial disease."

Mr Kelly offered his condolences to Mr Tong's family for losing him to the "very wicked and pernicious disease".