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Academic sues the University of Cambridge

Economist claims asbestos-lined corridor has given him terminal lung-cancer


Dr Michael Anyadike-Danes, a senior academic at the University, is suing the University after being diagnosed with mesothelioma – a form of lung cancer related to asbestos.

According to Anyadike-Danes, this incurable disease was caused by a "dusty corridor" full of asbestos in the Faculty of Economics in the 1980s.

Dr Anyadike-Danes, 66, blames "the exposed piping and crumbling asbestos that lined the ceiling of the corridor" for his mesothelioma. He says it "is shocking because the dangers of asbestos were very well known by the mid-1980s and yet the university did nothing to remove it and ensure the safety of those people who used the corridor".

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The University is in the process of removing asbestos from some of its buildings

Lawyers have warned the University that there could be many more similar claims from former staff and students as the corridor in the Austin Robinson building was frequently used; it was "the only way to get to a terminal linked to the university’s mainframe computer."

The University has undertaken a scheme to remove asbestos from its buildings, stating on its website: "It is known that a number of buildings within the University of Cambridge estate have asbestos-containing materials used historically in their construction."

A University spokesperson has said that they have "received a formal notification of these allegations and the matter is being dealt with by their insurers".