THE campaign Asbestos – The Hidden Killer is launched this month and I am writing to plead with tradesmen to be aware of this dangerous substance.

I lost my husband to an asbestos-related disease when he was only 64. He was exposed to the deadly fibres when he worked as an electrician, not at the Carriageworks but at a York food factory Every day, hard-working plumbers, joiners, plasterers and other tradesmen in Yorkshire risk encountering asbestos at work.

It is Britain’s biggest industrial killer and claims 4,000 lives every year – more than die in road accidents.

Contrary to what many people believe, the risks from asbestos are not a thing of the past.

In the UK about 500,000 workplaces still contain asbestos, and any buildings built or refurbished before 2000 could be present a risk.

This remains a very real threat to tradesmen today unless they take safety precautions.

My family are not the only ones to suffer. An estimated 20 tradesmen die every week from asbestos-related diseases, often in great pain.

That is why I am supporting the Health and Safety Executive’s Hidden Killer campaign, and I would urge every tradesman, or members of their family, to visit hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller for advice on how to stay safe.

Joyce Taylor, Allington Drive, York.