Eastbourne man died from asbestos exposure

Frank Hubbard passed away at St Wilfrid’s Hospice on January 9 this year, the inquest heard.

An inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall on Thursday (May 20), heard Mr Hubbard, who lived in Netherfield Avenue, worked as an aviator electrician.

Mr Hubbard’s wife Janet Hubbard, said, “I don’t know where he was exposed to it, he never talked about it.”

David Tye, the coroner’s officer, said Mr Hubbard worked around aircraft which was known for using asbestos prior to the 1980s.

Mr Tye said, “Neither of them considered the risk to health in asbestos. He was often working in confined spaces and it is likely he would have encountered it in his work.”

Post mortem results confirmed malignant mesothelioma – a type of cancer associated with asbestos exposure.

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze ruled Mr Hubbard’s death was due to an industrial disease.