A Herbrandston grandmother contracted the industrial disease, mesothelioma, through doing the laundry, Pembrokeshire Coroner heard on Thursday.

Doreen Lockyer, met her husband in 1966. An inquest heard how Mr Lockyer, an industrial scaffolder, came into contact with asbestos as part of his job. Mother-of-three, Mrs Lockyer, would regularly clean her husband’s work clothes.

In July last year Mrs Lockyer started complaining of chest pains, a cough and lost weight.

She saw her doctor and told her family that she had a chest infection. She was prescribed medication and food supplements.

The inquest heard how she became short tempered with her family and pushed them away, she struggled to walk and would get tired.

In the weeks before her death one of Mrs Lockyer’s daughters contacted her mother’s GP to find out what was wrong with her but got no response.

Mrs Lockyer died at home on May 26th this year.

After her death the doctor told the family that he had been concerned that Mrs Lockyer had cancer and had asked her to go for blood tests. However the 68-year-old refused.

The doctor was unable to tell the family of his concerns because of patient confidentiality.

A post mortem revealed a tumour on Mrs Lockyer’s lungs consistent with malignant mesothelioma. The cause of death was given as cardio-respitory failure as a result of malignant mesothelioma.

Pembrokeshire Coroner, Mark Layton, concluded that: “Mrs Lockyer has been exposed to asbestos through washing her husband’s clothes. This form of secondary exposure is a known cause of the illness. Mrs Lockyer died of industrial disease.”