A woman who suffered from cancer caused by exposure to asbestos is trying to raise awareness about the dangerous substance.

Asbestos can be found in many older buildings, including schools, residences, and hospitals.

Helen Bone, from Marton-in-Cleveland, Middlesbrough, has worked as a nurse for 25 years.

She is now spreading awareness to help others and says it is no longer an “old person’s disease”.

Mesothelioma is incurable and it can take 20 to 50 years for symptoms to appear.

These include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain and persistent cough.

Ms Bone was diagnosed with it in 2021, at the age of 38, when she continued to have chest pain even after recovering from Covid.

An ultrasound scan showed a large collection of fluid in his lungs.

The 42-year-old has sought the implementation of a scheme regarding the reconstruction and repair of public buildings.

He said, “If we don’t do this, more and more people will die and that is the reality.”

“We have to be proactive.

“We can’t wait for this to become a full-blown national emergency.”

Ms Bone said people with mesothelioma were no longer “labourers, electricians, miners – they were teachers, doctors, nurses, office workers”.

“The people who went to work did their job and they were sentenced to death because of this horrible material that was not managed properly,” he said.

“I want people to be aware of it.

“I don’t want anyone to have to go through what me and my family have had to go through.”