'Our husbands were killed by the new asbestos'

The widows of two stonemasons who died from a lung condition contracted during their work have warned of the dangers of "new asbestos".

Paul Gray and Stuart Johnson, who worked for the same stone production companies in Bradford and Leeds, were diagnosed with silicosis caused by silica dust.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, which secured settlements for their families after their deaths in 2019 and 2021, has claimed that West Yorkshire is a hotspot for exposure to the dangerous mineral.

After an increase in reported cases of the disease, Irwin Mitchell has launched a national register for stoneworkers to record incidents of contact with the dust.

Mr Gray, from Shipley, who started working as a stone dresser in 1997, used power and hand tools to make paving slabs from reclaimed quarried stone.

He was in good health before he began to suffer breathing difficulties in 2017, and he died four years later.

Joanne Gray said her husband and son's father was "taken away" too early.

"Paul’s loss has been simply devastating, both for me and our son Daniel," she said.

"We had to watch Paul slowly decline for nearly four years. You feel so helpless."

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

He developed a persistent cough in 2013, but in 2017 he collapsed at work and never returned. He was diagnosed in 2018, 14 months before his death, having previously been "fit and active".

His wife, Carol, said watching the illness "take Stuart away from us over several years" was terrible.

Both men instructed lawyers before they died to establish how they came into contact with the silica dust that caused their illness, Irwin Mitchell said.

The Health and Safety Executive has described silica dust found in stone as the "single biggest risk to construction workers" after the notoriously toxic asbestos.

The families of Mr Gray and Mr Johnson have called on employers to do more to protect workers, as both men had told their solicitors that they had not been warned about the dangers they faced or given protective equipment.

Those most at risk of developing silicosis have inhaled large amounts of silica dust over a period of years.

Irwin Mitchell said the large number of stonemasons, quarries and stoneyards in Leeds and Bradford had led to more victims of the disease coming forward to seek legal advice.

Oliver Collett, specialist in occupational disease for the firm, said: "Silica is often termed the new asbestos and its threat should never be underestimated.

"Symptoms include a persistent cough, shortness of breath and fatigue and can be fatal."

Paul Gray's widow Joanne added: "Silicosis is the most terrible disease. Nobody deserves to go through what Paul did as a result of their job. Hopefully by telling his story we can add our voice to those calling for greater awareness of this disease and safety at work.

"If the register makes just one employer think more about safety, Paul’s death won’t have been totally in vain."

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