Former Nurse with Cancer demanding confidence on exposure

Niall McCracken

BBC News or Mid Ulster Reporter

Monica Johnston worked as a nurse at Royal Victoria Hospital for almost 50 years

The BBC Monica Johnston has light brown hair to the shoulders and wears a white jacket on a dark blue upper part. She has a gold necklace with a cross. — Monica Johnston worked as a nurse at Royal Victoria Hospital for almost 50 years

A nurse withdrawn with terminal cancer is demanding the Belfast Health Trust for alleged exposure to asbestos during her time working there, can reveal BBC News Ni.

Monica Johnston worked at Royal Victoria Hospital for almost 50 years and received a diagnosis of Mesotelioma, asbestos -related cancer, in January 2023.

Asbestos was used in construction materials until it was discovered that fiber inhalation could cause cancers, but is only considered dangerous when it moves.

In a statement, Belfast Trust said he had “solid arrangements to effectively administer” Asbestos sites.

A graph that describes what the asbestos is and explains the effects it can have. — Asbestos was used in construction materials until it was discovered that fiber inhalation could cause cancers

Mrs. Johnston is taking a legal case against Belfast Trust, since she believes she was exposed to asbestos fibers during her working life.

The symptoms of Mesotelioma may take decades to develop, and it is almost always fatal.

A main cause is long -term and low level inhalation of the Asbestos.

Bangor’s 66 -year -old girl said that when she received the diagnosis: “It was as if a bomb were shot down on my family.”

“I kept thinking: ‘How could this happen?’ I have only worked as a nurse;

Between 2014 and 2023, there were 699 deaths related to asbestos in Northern Ireland.

Hundreds of people have died of asbestos -related diseases in Northern Ireland during the last decade

A graph that is shown between 2014 and 2023 there were 699 deaths related to the Asbestos in Northern Ireland, which were spent £ 10 million in the management of Asbestos in hospitals from 2019 to 2024 and £ 347K were paid for the exposure to asbestos in medical care buildings. — Hundreds of people have died of asbestos -related diseases in Northern Ireland during the last decade

BBC News or can reveal that more than 10 million have been spent to eliminate the asbestos of hundreds of hospitals and health buildings in Northern Ireland since 2019.

More than half were spent on Belfast Trust.

The Health Department said the controlled elimination of the Asbestos of Health Heritage “mitigates the health risk of asbestos exposure.”

Health trusts say they invest “significant amounts of money” to reduce the risk of any exposure to asbestos and that the “solid arrangements” exist to administer sites where it was present.

The figures on asbestos elimination costs were published through a request for freedom of information

Figures on Asbestos's elimination costs accompanied by a photo of a man with a white danger suit, with a mask of respirator and green gloves. A film in the foreground is read "Asbestos proven warning was in" — The figures on asbestos elimination costs were published through a request for freedom of information

Compensation

There are several ways to claim compensation for asbestos exposure in Northern Ireland.

First, people can sue the organization that they think is responsible.

The new figures obtained by BBC News do not show at least £ 347,000 have been paid by the health trusts of Northern Ireland since 2003 to people who believe they were exposed to the Asbestos in their buildings.

The Belfast, Northern and Southern trustees were able to provide a general figure for the total amount they have paid in the asbestos compensation they have registered.

The figures were launched to BBC News or through a series of requests for freedom of information.

Asbestos compensation figures paid for each health trust, broken down and shown in a table. — The figures were launched to BBC News or through a series of requests for freedom of information.

The South Eastern Trust and Western Trust only provided the money they paid in Asbestos compensation between 2019 and 2024.

Other ways for people affected by asbestos exposure include a series of government compensation schemes.

BBC News or previously reported that Millions of pounds have been paid through these schemesWith most linked to the Belfast Naval Construction Industry.

Monica Johnston says she is extremely proud of her career as a nurse

The Johnston Monica Johnston family, with her red nursing uniform, has short blond hair. — Monica Johnston says she is extremely proud of her career as a nurse

Mrs. Johnston began working as a nurse in 1977.

“I loved my work, and I was lucky to have very good health for most of my life, and never smoked or anything like that,” he said.

In November 2021 he began to realize that he was constantly breathless, but could not obtain a diagnosis for some time.

Things finally reached a critical point when he developed pain in his chest and collapsed at work.

The scans would eventually confirm that Mrs. Johnson had Mesotelioma.

“Even as an experienced nurse, I had never heard of it, and the doctor explained that the only way you can get it is to come into contact with the asbestos,” he said.

“There was nothing in my childhood, my family or his work that would connect to the Asbestos; the only possible exhibition was through my own work.”

Monica worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital until her diagnosis of Mesotelioma

The Johnston Monica family is represented on the land of Royal Victoria Hospital, where he worked until his diagnosis of Mesotelioma. She is standing next to a large bronze statue of Queen Victoria sitting on a throne. Behind her there are red brick buildings of the oldest part of the hospital. — Monica worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital until her diagnosis of Mesotelioma

Mrs. Johnston lived in nursing accommodation in the seventies and eighties.

Some of the accommodation blocks were built in the early 1950s and recently destined for demolition to give way to a new children’s hospital on the real site of Victoria.

In 2015, some of the accommodation blocks had work completed by a private company, including the elimination of asbestos.

Mrs. Johnston said she expected her legal case and speech to create awareness about the problem.

“It’s too late for me, and it’s not about alarming, but I want people to be aware of the risks that exist,” he said.

Mrs. Johnston was recently appointed in the New Year’s Honors list for her nursing services

Mrs. Johnston was recently appointed in the New Year's Honors list for her services for nursing: it is seen with a dark blue dress in the throne room of the Hillsborough Castle with her medal of the British Empire caught in her chest. — Mrs. Johnston was recently appointed in the New Year’s Honors list for her nursing services

Mrs. Johnston was appointed in the New Year Honors list and received a British Empire Medal for Nursing Services.

Belfast Trust said she was sad to know that Mrs. Johnston had been diagnosed with Mesotelioma.

“It was a very valuable member and very respected of our staff and a tremendous colleague who was dedicated to patient care,” added a spokesman.

‘Robust arrangements’

Belfast Trust said he has 148 sites that still contained asbestos, but that these were “low risk.”

The Department of Health said that all its organizations had to comply with strict rules that regulate asbestos in its buildings.

Liz Darlison, executive director of the beneficial organization Mesotelioma UK, said she was increasingly concerned about the growing incidence of Mesotelioma in people who worked in occupations that exposed them at low levels of asbestos, such as education and medical care.