Elaine Ellery, 67, died from malignant mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure decades earlier in her childhood.

Mrs Ellery, a retired personal assistant, had no known exposure to the material during her working life.

But she was unknowingly exposed to it while growing up, through contact with her father and visits to his workplace.  

Norfolk Coroner's Court, at County Hall in Norwich. (Image: Newsquest)

An inquest recently held at Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard she died at Priscilla Bacon Lodge hospice on August 6, 2025.

Area coroner Johanna Thompson concluded her death was the result of an industrial disease, telling the hearing: “She died from exposure to asbestos as a child.”  

In a statement given before her death, Mrs Ellery, who was born in Bedfordshire, described her childhood.

Her father worked as an unskilled labourer at a factory from 1949 until he was made redundant in 1974.  

She recalled how he would return home during the day still wearing his work clothes.  

“When I attended junior school in those days we came home at lunchtime,” she said. “My father also came home from work at lunchtime and we all had a meal together. 

“When he came home at lunchtime he was in his work clothes because he did not have time to change. I did not pay much attention to his overalls, but I remember that he just wore his own clothes to work which were suitable for labouring duties.  

“I was very close to my dad and as soon as he came home I would go up to him and hug him. I was still very young and it was exciting when my father came home.”  

She also remembered embracing him when he returned in the evenings, unaware that his clothing may have carried dangerous asbestos fibres.  

Norfolk Coroner's Court at County Hall in Norwich (Image: Mike Page)

Her exposure may also have come from helping her mother wash his contaminated work clothes.  

“My mother did all of the clothes washing in a twin tub and hung them on the line outside and I used to help her regularly,” she said. “I would help my mother load the clothes into the wash basket including my father’s work clothes.”  

Mrs Ellery, of Priory Close, Bacton, also visited the factory as a child from the age of eight to 14 for an annual Christmas party.  

She said: “I was always excited to go there because there was a substance which looked like snow on the ground. 

“It was not snow but had a similar appearance and in hindsight I believe it must have been asbestos on the ground from the factory’s operations.”  

Her family had already suffered the devastating consequences of asbestos exposure.  

Her father was diagnosed with cancer in 1982 and died the following year. A coroner ruled his death was caused by industrial disease resulting from asbestos exposure.  

She added that her mother was “always fearful that asbestos was harmful and that my father would be affected by it”, describing it as her mother’s “worst fear”. 

Mrs Ellery said she was “absolutely floored and devastated” when she herself was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October 2024, having already witnessed her father’s illness and death.  

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer linked almost exclusively to asbestos exposure, often developing decades after contact with the fibres.  

Mrs Ellery retired in April 2019, having worked for many years as a personal assistant. Her work history revealed no occupational exposure to asbestos.  

Johanna Thompson, area coroner for Norfolk. (Image: Norfolk Coroner's Court)

Summing up, Ms Thompson said the evidence clearly showed Mrs Ellery’s fatal illness resulted from environmental exposure in childhood.  

Offering her condolences to the family, she said: “I would like to offer my most sincere condolences. I am so sorry for your loss.”  

The conclusion of industrial disease formally recognised that Mrs Ellery’s death was caused by asbestos exposure many years earlier, likely occurred during greeting her father returning home from work.  

What is asbestos and when were the dangers known?

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals once widely used in buildings, factories and insulation because of its heat resistance and durability.

However, when disturbed, it releases microscopic fibres that can be inhaled and become lodged in the lungs.

The Health and Safety Executive says prolonged exposure can cause mesothelioma, a cancer which often develops decades later.

Use of asbestos was gradually restricted and finally banned in the United Kingdom in 1999.

Despite this, the World Health Organization warns asbestos remains present in many older buildings.

Charity Mesothelioma UK says families were often exposed through dust brought home on workers’ clothing before stricter workplace protections were introduced.

© Eastern Daily Press