She Only Washed Her Husband's Clothes... British Woman Dies One Week After Cancer Diagnosis from "Stomach Pain"

Washing Her Husband's BT Work Clothes by Hand Three Times a Week
Family Seeks Testimonies to Understand Past Working Conditions

A British woman who had spent decades washing her husband's work clothes died just one week after being diagnosed with a rare cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Her family has raised the possibility that asbestos fibers, carried into the home on her husband's clothing, may have contributed to her illness.

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According to reports from The Mirror, the Daily Mail, and other foreign media outlets on July 6 (local time), Veronica Kidman, a 72-year-old resident of Wymondham, Norfolk, United Kingdom, was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma on January 8 this year and died in the hospital a week later, on January 15.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer that forms in the lining around organs such as the lungs and abdomen, and is primarily caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.

The family believes it is highly likely that Veronica was indirectly exposed to asbestos while washing her husband Ian's work clothes. From 1971 to 1989, Ian worked as a field engineer for British Telecom (BT), repairing telephone lines and switchboards in homes and businesses.

According to her family, Ian may have installed telephone lines in areas with asbestos-insulated pipes or handled resin containing asbestos. It was reported that every time he returned from work, his clothes and hair were covered in large amounts of dust.

Veronica hand-washed her husband's work clothes three times a week. Due to the large amount of dust on the clothes, she would often repeat the wash cycle three times per session. After washing, she would sweep up the dust collected on the floor with a broom. The family claims that during this process, asbestos fibers could have been dispersed into the air along with the dust.

About two years before her diagnosis, Veronica experienced severe abdominal pain, back pain, abdominal swelling, and fatigue. She visited the emergency room several times in November and December of the previous year, and a CT scan in December revealed an abdominal mass, leading to a biopsy. After being admitted to the hospital on January 6, she was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma two days later. However, her condition rapidly deteriorated, and she passed away a week later, on January 15.

Her daughter, Becky Ewing, 41, said, "My mother was always bright and full of energy," adding, "We had to say goodbye before we could even come to terms with her diagnosis."

She continued, "If my father had been alive, he would have been deeply shocked by the fact that his work could have contributed to my mother's illness," and stressed, "It wasn't my father's fault; the problem was the lack of proper protection at the time."

The family has appointed a legal representative specializing in asbestos-related illnesses to investigate the exact circumstances of Veronica's exposure. They are seeking information from colleagues who worked with Ian at telephone exchanges such as Chingford and Leytonstone in London, regarding the working conditions at that time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.