Family claims mother may have died due to asbestos used in building of Dublin flats
The family of a woman who died from a form of cancer linked to asbestos say she may have been exposed to the material during the construction of a Dublin flat complex.
Mary Wynne (aged 86) and her family were among the first to move into the Dolphin’s Barn Flat Complex in Dublin’s south inner city in 1955.
The family took up residency in the first completed block of flats while construction continued on the remaining blocks.
Mrs Wynne, a mother of 12 from Saul Road in Crumlin and formerly Dolphin House, died from a rare form of aggressive cancer linked to asbestos.
A former trader at the Iveagh Market, she also spent time working as a cleaner at a water works site during the 1980s, according to her daughter Stephanie Wynne.
At an inquest into Mrs Wynne's death at Dublin Coroner's Court, family members said asbestos had been found during the demolition of the flats as part of the ongoing €25m redevelopment of the Dolphin’s Barn complex.
Family members said they thought Mrs Wynne may have been exposed to the substance while resident in the complex during the construction phase. The family moved out of the flats in 1985. When Mrs Wynne sought treatment in 2015 doctors found a tumour 21cm long in her abdomen, the family said.
She died from a form of cancer known as mesothelioma, which develops in the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen as a result of asbestos exposure, on December 11, 2016, at Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross.
"The hospice staff were so good to her, they cared for her so well, they are beautiful people," a family spokesman said.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane adjourned the inquest to address the matters raised by the Wynne family.
"I will put the relevant people on notice and ask if they wish to attend a reconvened inquest. We are expected to ascertain the facts as much as we can so that would be the reason for reconvening," the coroner said.
