University lecturer dies from asbestos exposure 60 years ago

Lancashire, UK – A former Lancaster University lecturer, who lived a healthy life, has passed away as a result of asbestos exposure that she encountered over 60 years ago.

Eugenie Dunn, 83, worked in offices most of her life so it came as a surprise to her son, Roland, when a medical examination in January 2007 showed she had been infected with asbestos. She died last October at Lancaster’s St. John’s Hospice.

Her exposure is now being traced as far back as the 1940s when Mrs. Dunn travelled to Berlin and worked as a volunteer after the war had ravaged the city. It is believed that she had ingested asbestos while eating food in a bomb-damaged building in the capital.

Dr. Bianca Da Gama-Rose, the coroner who worked on Mrs. Dunn, said she found fluid and tumors in her abdomen. While in most cases of asbestos exposure, victims normally breathe in the fibers, but in Mrs. Dunn’s case, the autopsy results suggested she had ingested, or swallowed, the hazardous substance.

Mrs. Dunn was born in Germany but went back and forth between her homeland and London. She left Germany with her family when she was young but returned to help with relief efforts after the war.

She moved back to London after her volunteer service. Mrs. Dunn also lived in the United States and Canada before she moved back to England and became a lecturer at Preston Polytechnic and Lancaster University.

The coroner’s report showed she suffered from malignant mesothelioma of the peritoneum, which led to her death.

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