AN inquest has ruled that exposure to asbestos throughout his working life caused the life of a fit and active grandfather to be cut cruelly short.

Bradford Coroners Court ruled yesterday that industrial disease caused the death of Michael Patrick Parkinson, who died aged 73 on January 25, 2020.

Mr Parkinson died at home in Park Close, Bingley, with his wife almost 45 years by his bedside, just a matter of weeks after being diagnosed with mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos.

A statement from Mr Parkinson’s wife, Janet, said how he had moved to Denholme aged two with his family from Mountmellick in Ireland.

He was the eldest child, with three sisters and two brothers, and after attending school went on to work for more than 45 years in engineering, starting as an apprentice at Shorts Lifts, before going on to work for many local electrical businesses and spending seven years at BT before retirement in 2011.

He and Janet met in a pub in Denholme and married in 1976, having two children and three grandchildren.

He was a lifelong Liverpool Football Club fan and in retirement would take his dog on long walks in the countryside and was fit and active.

Health problems first reared their head towards the end of 2019 when he was having difficulty sleeping and experiencing discomfort.

Mr Parkinson’s brother, a doctor, listened to his lungs and said they didn’t sound right, and his GP sent him for an x-ray and a further scan on his lungs.

The issue was initially thought to be cancer but after a biopsy was diagnosed as mesothelioma and he was given ten months to live. He declined palliative chemotherapy which would have extended his life expectancy.

In the following weeks he became weaker and bedbound.

Mrs Parkinson said this was “a shock as he was usually fit and healthy”.

Following a visit from his sister on January 25, his breathing became a rattle, and shortly after he could not move and at 6.30pm his wife noticed he had stopped breathing and had died.

She said: “He wanted it to be over, and I think he gave in.

“He received a lump sum from HM Revenue & Customs after filling in a form for industrial disease, and thought he was in contact with asbestos while working in confined spaces.”

Respiratory Doctor Justin Tuggey, from Airedale Hospital, said Mr Parkinson had a “confirmed case of mesothelioma”.

Dr Abi Howgego, from Springfield Surgery, Bingley, added in a phone call Mr Parkinson had said he was “unable to leave the house, and was fed up and wished it would all end”.

Assistant Coroner Peter Merchant concluded: “Mr Parkinson had concerns about his health in late 2019.

“He was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given a relatively short life expectancy, and at the end of January his health deteriorated quite significantly and he died on January 25 at home in the presence of his wife.

“The cause of his death was mesothelioma from the effects of exposure to asbestos during his working life, and was due to industrial disease.”