Coroner of Inquests Jayne Hughes has recorded a cause of industrial disease for two men who died recently.

John Joseph Haines, aged 81, and James Frances Tooher, aged 70, both died as a result of illnesses related to exposure to asbestos during their working lives.

Mrs Hughes heard the inquest of Mr Haines first. He had been born on July 14, 1937, in Jarrow, County Durham, and died on May 13 at Noble’s Hospital, having plived in Jurby.

After the post-mortem examination, the consultant pathologist said Mr Haines had died of bronchopneumonia and had mesothelioma, which were caused by his exposure to asbestos during his working life.

Mrs Hughes heard from Detective Constable Nicky Shimmin that Mr Haines had worked as an apprentice ship joiner in the UK and later as a shipwright.

DC Shimmin said that there was confirmation from Mr Haines’s family that the ship yard had worked with asbestos and workers were described as ’going home on the bus covered in [asbestos] dust’.

Later in his life, after moving to the island, Mr Haines worked at Summerland, where asbestos was also present.

Mrs Hughes ruled that Mr Haines had died as a result of an industrial disease.

However she added: ’There are two possible causes and it would be inappropriate to decide which is responsible.’

Mrs Hughes added there was ’clear evidence’ Mr Haines’s illness was caused during his time in employment working with asbestos.

The coroner then heard the inquest of Mr Tooher.

He was born on December 3, 1948, in Ireland and died on May 28 at the hospice, having lived in Peel.

As Mr Tooher had been in the hospice and his illness was long known about, no post-mortem examination was carried out.

He had lived with bronchopneumonia and pleural mesothelioma.

While Mr Tooher had been a smoker, he and his family had previously made a successful claim for asbestos exposure.

Mrs Hughes said she had received a submission from John Flanagan, support officer for Merseyside Asbestos Victims’ Support Group who said Mr Tooher’s exposure was likely in 1968 to 1969 when he worked for, among others, the London Brick Company.

Given the previous successful claim and the submission from Mr Flanagan, Mrs Hughes said she was ’satisfied’ his exposure had been during the 1968 to 1969 period.

She added it was ’more likely than not, it led to his cause of death’.

She recorded as industrial disease.