"Our husbands were killed by the 'new asbestos' "

The widows of 2 stonemasons who died from a lung information contracted during their enactment person warned of the dangers of the "new asbestos".

Paul Gray and Stuart Johnson, who worked for the aforesaid chromatic accumulation companies successful Bradford and Leeds, were diagnosed with silicosis caused by silica dust.

Law steadfast Irwin Mitchell, which secured settlements for their families aft their deaths successful 2019 and 2021, has claimed that West Yorkshire is simply a "hotspot" for vulnerability to the unsafe mineral.

After an summation successful reported cases of the disease, Irwin Mitchell has launched a nationalist registry for stoneworkers to grounds incidents of interaction with the dust.

Mr Gray, from Shipley, who started moving arsenic a chromatic dresser successful 1997, utilized powerfulness and manus tools to marque paving slabs from reclaimed quarried stone.

He was successful bully wellness earlier helium began to endure breathing difficulties successful 2017, and helium died 4 years later.

Joanne Gray said her hubby and son's begetter was "taken away" excessively early.

"Paul’s nonaccomplishment has been simply devastating, some for maine and our lad Daniel," she said.

"We had to ticker Paul dilatory diminution for astir 4 years. You consciousness truthful helpless."

Mr Johnson, besides from Bradford, worked with Delph sandstone and gritstone, which is known for its precocious silica content.

He developed a persistent cough successful 2013, but successful 2017 helium collapsed astatine enactment and ne'er returned. He was diagnosed successful 2018, 14 months earlier his death, having antecedently been "fit and active".

His wife, Carol, said watching the "terrible unwellness instrumentality Stuart distant from america implicit respective years" was "terrible".

Both men instructed lawyers earlier they died to found however they came into interaction with the silica particulate that caused their illness, Irwin Mitchell said.

The Health and Safety Executive has described silica particulate recovered successful chromatic arsenic the "single biggest hazard to operation workers" aft the notoriously toxic asbestos.

The families of Mr Gray and Mr Johnson person called connected employers to bash much to support workers, arsenic some men had told their solicitors that they had not been warned astir the dangers they faced oregon fixed protective equipment.

Those astir astatine hazard of processing silicosis person inhaled ample amounts of silica particulate implicit a play of years.

Irwin Mitchell said the ample fig of stonemasons, quarries and stoneyards successful Leeds and Bradford had led to much victims of the illness coming guardant to question ineligible advice.

Oliver Collett, specializer successful occupational illness for the firm, said: "Silica is often termed the caller asbestos and its menace should ne'er beryllium underestimated.

"Symptoms see a persistent cough, shortness of enactment and fatigue and tin beryllium fatal."

Paul Gray's widow Joanne added: "Silicosis is the astir unspeakable disease. Nobody deserves to spell done what Paul did arsenic a effect of their job. Hopefully by telling his communicative we tin adhd our dependable to those calling for greater consciousness of this illness and information astatine work.

"If the registry makes conscionable 1 leader deliberation much astir safety, Paul’s decease won’t person been wholly successful vain."

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