Family appeal for information after London factory worker’s asbestos-related cancer death
The family of a former factory worker who made, amongst other items, components for hospital equipment are appealing for information following his death less than a month after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Posted on 03 May 2024
Allan Reid, who moved to the UK from Jamaica in 1998, worked at Component Plastics Limited (now known as Circle Plastics Limited) in North East London from his arrival in the country until 2010.
The factory in Walthamstow that Allan - who initially worked under the alias of Kenneth Graham while his immigration papers were sorted - worked in was dusty, and Leigh Day solicitors believe it is likely that he came into contact with asbestos. The factory was eventually closed and relocated to Harlow.
Allan began experiencing chest pains in May 2023, with his symptoms progressing over the coming months before he was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the start of August that year. He died later that month, less than three weeks after his diagnosis.
Due to the fast progression of Allan’s cancer, he was not able to instruct solicitors or discuss asbestos exposure with his family, who are now making an appeal for information about his working conditions.
They are looking to locate people who worked for Component Plastics Limited/Circle Plastics limited at the same or similar time to Allan between 1998 and 2010 who can provide information about the presence of or use of asbestos in the factory he worked in.
They are also looking more generally for any people who knew Allan during this period who can offer further details to help build a more detailed picture of his working life around that time.
Leigh Day industrial disease solicitor Catriona Ratcliffe who represents Allan’s family, said:
“The speed at which Allan’s cancer developed has not only had a devastating effect on his family, but also meant that they had no chance to adequately discuss his working conditions and potential exposure to asbestos. This appeal for information could be vitally important in helping Allan’s family seek justice. We would like to hear from anyone who knew or worked with Allan between 1998 and 2010, as well as from former colleagues who worked at Component Plastics Limited or Circle Plastics Limited. Any relevant information would be greatly appreciated by Allan’s family.”
Catriona Ratcliffe
Associate solicitor in the personal injury departments specialising in industrial disease claims
Family’s plea to NHS workers after former nurse dies aged 64 of asbestos-related cancer
The husband of a former NHS worker who died at the age of 64 from an incurable cancer caused by asbestos has appealed for information about the hospitals where she worked in Kent and Warwickshire.
Tony Dulwich, director of TAD Contracts, a company based in Canary Wharf, successfully sued his former employers
Canary Wharf specialist design business owner Tony Dulwich won a High Court judgment against his former employers for compensation for asbestos exposure during the 1970s and 80s after he was later diagnosed with an asbestos cancer called mesothelioma.