A FORMER stock controller battling terminal asbestos cancer has issued a heartfelt appeal for help regarding how he was exposed to the material which looks set to claim his life.

James Cooper has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, often decades previously.

The 73-year-old is now appealing to his former workmates for help in establishing whether he was exposed during his career and is particularly keen to hear from anyone based at AEI Cables in Birtley.

James, of Newfield, Chester-le-Street, was employed as a stock control and sales rep at the cable manufacturer from 1966 to 1980.

James Cooper

James Cooper

James Cooper

He does not know if he was exposed there, but wonders if conductors used in cabling may have been covered with insulation which contained asbestos. 

He recalls cables being dragged through a bed of white powder at high speed to help cover them and make them conductive. He would often have to cut cable to provide samples.

James started experiencing symptoms including a re-occurring cough and tiredness in early 2020.

Following tests he was diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma last May.

He said: “Before my diagnosis I’d always tried to remain healthy and active. I enjoyed travelling and looking around local places of interest. I loved to see the world and wasn’t one for sitting at the beach.

“My wife worked full-time and I therefore used to go most the jobs around the home including the vast majority of the housework, cooking and gardening.

"However, now I really struggle to do a lot of things for myself and am a lot more reliant on my family and no longer can help my wife.

“Nothing prepared me for the news I had cancer and it was terminal. It still hasn’t really sunk in and I’m apprehensive about what the future holds for me and my family.

“Because of my diagnosis I now have so many questions about what caused my illness. I know nothing can undo what has happened but I feel that I at least deserve answers.

“I’d be so grateful to anyone who came forward with any details. No matter how big or small, it could make all the difference to my family.”

Following his diagnosis the dad-of-three and granddad-of-two instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how he was exposed to the hazardous material.

Helen Jones, the legal expert at Irwin Mitchell representing James and his wife Cheryl, 51, said: “Sadly through our work we often see the devastating consequences exposure to asbestos can have with James’s case another reminder of the terrible legacy it has created in the North East.

“Understandably James and his family have a number of concerns about his exposure and what the future holds for them.

“While sadly the doctors can’t do much for James, we’re determined to provide him and his family with the answers they deserve.

“We would be grateful to anyone who can come forward with information. Any detail could prove vital in providing the family with the answers they deserve.”

Anyone with information about working conditions James faced while employed by AEI Cables should contact, Sonia Akram via email at sonia.akram@irwinmitchell.com or call 0191-434-0719.