An inquest concluded the death of a man from Burnham had been caused by an industrial disease. 

Peter Skinner, 79, died n October 30 last year at his home address. 

Essex area coroner Michelle Brown formally reopened the inquest into his death on October 4. 

Mr Skinner, the court was told, was in end-of-life care and suffered from multiple conditions, including deep vein thrombosis and basal cell carcinoma. 

Unfortunately, Mr Skinner was deemed to be too ill to start chemotherapy. 

A post-mortem examination, which was carried out on November 10 classified his cause of death as malignant mesothelioma, a type of cancer which affects the thin tissue lining the lungs, chest and abdomen, as well as an ischemic heart disease. 

The mesothelioma, which is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, suggested the death not to be normal. 

In a statement of life, which Mr Skinner gave before his passing and which Mrs Brown summarised at the inquest, the deceased listed a number of places of work where he believed he had been exposed to asbestos, starting in 1959 at a metal-working job he stayed at for 12 months. 

It revealed that Mr Skinner believed the exposure was on a daily basis, and he did not wear any protective gear. 

Further, the statement explained how he went from running “5k park runs to not being able to get up the stairs”. 

Considering his medical history and statement, Mrs Brown concluded that Mr Skinner had died due to an industrial disease.