Wife Dies of Rare Cancer After Decades of Hand-Washing Husband's Asbestos-Covered Work Clothes

A 72-year-old woman in the United Kingdom has died from a rare cancer, with her family alleging her illness was caused by decades of hand-washing her husband's asbestos-contaminated work clothes.

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Mom was always bright and energetic, but suddenly she started complaining of severe fatigue.

Veronica Kidman was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare cancer associated with asbestos exposure, in January and passed away just a week later. Her family claims that from 1971 to 1989, Kidman repeatedly hand-washed the dusty work clothes of her husband, Ian Kidman, who worked as a field engineer for British Telecom (BT). They assert that this routine exposure to asbestos fibers led to her illness over 30 years later.

According to reports, Veronica had often mentioned the significant amount of dust on her husband's clothes and hair upon his return home. The work clothes were so dirty that she had to scrub them by hand multiple times a week, sometimes washing them three times. Ian Kidman's job involved repairing telephone lines and exchanges in homes and businesses, and his work may have exposed him to asbestos insulation in buildings or materials containing the substance.

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We had to say goodbye to Mom without even having time to accept the diagnosis.

Their daughter, Becky Ewing, described her mother as vibrant and energetic, making her sudden fatigue and subsequent death particularly shocking. "We had to say goodbye to Mom without even having time to accept the diagnosis," Ewing said. The family believes that while Ian Kidman would be devastated to know his work might have contributed to his wife's illness, it was not his fault, but rather a failure of worker protection at the time.

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But it wasn't Dad's fault. Workers should have been properly protected at the time.

An asbestos disease specialist representing the family noted an increase in mesothelioma cases resulting from secondary asbestos exposure through laundry. The family is currently seeking former colleagues of Ian Kidman who worked at the telephone exchanges where he was employed, as their testimony could be crucial in establishing the circumstances of Veronica's exposure. BT Group expressed condolences but stated they have not received any legal claims and therefore cannot comment further.

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Recently, there has been an increase in cases of mesothelioma caused by secondary asbestos exposure during the process of washing work clothes, and most of them are women.