Death of retired carpenter from Sudbury linked to prolonged exposure to asbestos during working life, inquest concludes

The death of a retired maintenance carpenter from Sudbury was linked to exposure to asbestos over the course of his career, an inquest has decided.

George Cutmore, 81, had been diagnosed with asbestosis in 2015, and in May this year, he was admitted to hospital because of breathing difficulties.

On Thursday, the inquest at Suffolk Coroner’s Court in Ipswich heard that Mr Cutmore’s condition continued to deteriorate and he died at the West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, just over two weeks later on June 2.

The inquest heard that Mr Cutmore, of Newmans Road in Sudbury, had begun working for a timber merchants after his military service in 1963 and been exposed to asbestos products.

Later, he went on to work at Vanners Silk in Sudbury where he had helped to remove asbestos pipe lagging.

In a statement to the inquest hearing, Steven Cutmore said his father, who was born in Belchamp St Paul, had a permanent cough after being diagnosed with asbestosis, but during the last 18 months of his life, he became increasingly breathless and was able to walk only a few steps.

The cause of death recorded for Mr Cutmore was pulmonary hypotension, pulmonary fibrosis and chronic kidney disease.

Senior Suffolk Coroner Nigel Parsley, recording a conclusion that Mr Cutmore died from an industrial disease, said it had been caused by exposure to asbestos fibres while at work.