A FORMER hairdresser from Bradford has secured funds through lawyers after developing asbestos-related cancer following years of cleaning and maintaining hairdryers in salons.

Calogero La Bella, 80, who is from Sicily but moved to the UK when he was just 20, developed symptoms including fatigue and diarrhoea last summer. He underwent scans and was diagnosed with mesothelioma associated with exposure to asbestos decades ago.

Specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell investigated how he came to develop the illness and the legal experts concluded it may be linked to his work in a number of salons through the years.

While the legal experts have been unable to take legal action against any specific employer, they have now been able to secure Calogero a payment from the Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme.

Mr La Bella said: “Sadly nothing will change what has happened but this payment is undoubtedly very welcome and it will ensure that I can access the care and support I will need going forward.”

He added: “Developing mesothelioma has been a huge shock and it has had a massive impact on my life. However, it is particularly distressing to think that the job I loved so much essentially caused it.”

Lucy Andrews, the specialist asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Calogero, said: “While this is yet another case which highlights the devastating impact that asbestos exposure can have, it is also one which is notable for two reasons.

“So many of our cases relate to asbestos exposure in industrial environments, so this one is undoubtedly unique because of the fact that contact with the material is likely to have occurred in salons.

“Secondly, while we have been unable to pursue a claim against a specific employer, we have still managed to secure funds for our client through this special scheme.

“It is a case which truly highlights how any form of asbestos exposure can have significant consequences, as well as that there are multiple ways that we can work to ensure that our clients gain the justice that they ultimately deserve.”

Calogero has been involved in hairdressing since the age of just 10, when he started both shaving men and cutting their hair. While he originally lived in Bristol when he arrived in the UK, he moved to Bradford in 1959 and has been in the city ever since.

He has worked at a range of salons in Bradford and Leeds through the decades. His role always involved cleaning and maintaining both hood and handheld hairdryers, with it known that some models used asbestos for its heat resistant purposes.”