Call for screenings of oil rig workers

The asbestos-related cancer death of a former oil rig worker should be highlighted in the hope those who did similar work are identified and screened.

Cork City coroner Philip Comyn backed a jury’s recommendation yesterday that the case be brought to the attention of the authorities after they returned a verdict of death due to occupational disease.

An inquest was told James O’Brien, 64, from Limerick, a non-smoker, died at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on June 6, 2016, just months after he was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma — a rare form of cancer of the lining of the abdomen.