A MUM died of cancer while washing her husband’s work clothes ten years after he had died of the terrible disease.

Mother of three From the 1950s to the 1980s, Joan Davies washed her husband David’s overalls every day while he worked in power plants.

The problem was that David’s clothes were covered in asbestos, so they both breathed it in, which ended up killing them.

Asbestos was a popular mineral because it could withstand high temperatures, but breathing it in can cause cancer.

The couple’s children say that David would come home from work covered in dust from drilling into the dangerous substance.

After shaking out the overalls, Joan washed them in the garage, putting herself in danger without meaning to.

David died at age 89 from mesothelioma, a lung cancer that is now thought to be caused by asbestos.

After ten years, Joan also died after the same thing happened to her.

Son Jeff Davies, who is now 63 years old, went to court and won money for his troubles.

Jeff said, “It took a long time and a lot of work, but our family now knows the truth about our mom’s asbestos exposure.”

Getting to the bottom of what happened would have meant a lot to both of them, even though it can’t bring her back.

“I guess everyone says this, but my parents were truly wonderful people.” They both did useful things with their lives.

“They worked so hard to make a great life for themselves and the family and didn’t deserve this terrible cancer.”

David worked at a power plant in both Cardiff and Pembroke.

Jeff said that they got very involved in their community in Pembrokeshire.

Jeff said he won a settlement through the law firm Irwin Mitchell, but the amount was not made public.

It was agreed that David’s exposure to asbestos at Pembroke Power Station, which accidentally exposed Joan, happened because of carelessness.

Besides Jeff, they had two other sons named Greg and Chris.

Joan didn’t start to feel sick until May 2022, but she quickly got cancer and died in July of that year.

Because of the same thing, David died in May 2012.

Alexandra Lausen, Jeff’s lawyer, said, “Losing one parent to asbestos cancer is terrible, but seeing David and then Joan get mesothelioma and die from it is unimaginable.”

“Understandably, it left the family devastated and searching for answers.”

She also said that it might encourage other women who were exposed to asbestos in the same way to come forward.

She noted: “Jeff has shown enormous courage in sharing his family’s story and hopes that by doing so he can warn others of the dangers of asbestos and encourage women in his mum’s situation to seek the help and support they deserve.”

Asbestos wasn’t completely banned in the UK until 1999, even though it had been warned of many times.