A former Heathrow Airport worker has died from mesothelioma, raising concerns about asbestos exposure during his long career at the airport
London: Thomas Longhurst, or Tom as everyone called him, sadly passed away in February 2022 at the age of 73. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a tough cancer linked to asbestos exposure.
Tom worked at Heathrow Airport from 1985 to 2016, mostly in Terminal 3. It’s believed he might have come into contact with asbestos during some major maintenance and construction work.
His family thinks that this work, especially in the 80s and early 90s, put him near contractors who were disturbing asbestos materials.
After being diagnosed in 2021, Tom’s health declined rapidly, and he was gone just a few months later. His family is heartbroken.
They’ve reached out to Leigh Day, a firm that specializes in industrial disease cases, to look into what happened.
His family shared, “Tom dedicated many years to Heathrow. He was finally settling into retirement and was looking forward to meeting his new grandkids, whom he never got to see.”
They added, “He suffered a lot in his last months. Tom was a fit guy who loved cycling and sports, but everything changed so quickly.”
They miss him dearly and are hoping anyone with information about his work at Heathrow can come forward.
Leigh Day is eager to talk to anyone who worked in Terminal 3 during Tom’s time there, especially those who might remember the construction work and any potential asbestos exposure.
Louisa Saville, a solicitor at Leigh Day, said they want to help Tom’s family by finding others who can shed light on his situation. “Any information would mean a lot to his widow and family,” she said.
If you have any details, you can reach out to Louisa at 0161 804 0761 or email her at Lsaville@leighday.co.uk.
