KEITH Gardner’s health is being destroyed by a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos - and he wants to warn others of the dangers.

Diagnosed late last year with incurable mesothelioma - also known as asbestosis - the 66-year-old from Newport cannot now cope with the slightest incline without suffering severe breathlessness.

A carpenter and joiner by trade, he hoped to work until he was 70, but now finds the simplest tasks difficult.

He is speaking about the disease and how it affects him to mark the charity Mesothelioma UK’s Action Mesothelioma Day today.

“Lots of people worked with asbestos before its problems and dangers came to light,” said Mr Gardner, who lives in the city’s Shaftesbury area and until last December had worked for almost 50 years, either for firms or self-employed.

“I didn’t work with asbestos all the time, but back then we didn’t get goggles, masks and gloves. We’d cut it, or rip it up with our hands.

“I think a lot more will come to light about asbestos, and a lot more people will pay the price of being exposed to it.

“It’s still there in lots of buildings, and people must be made more aware of how dangerous it can be.”

After noticing severe breathlessness on holiday in Devon last year, Mr Gardner saw his GP and subsequently underwent x-rays, tests and biopsies in hospital.

He had several litres of fluid drained from his lung cavity and, after being diagnosed, underwent four courses of chemotherapy.

“It hasn’t got any worse, but I’m still very restricted in what I can do. I can walk on the flat a little bit, but hills are impossible,” he said.

Mesothelioma often does not develop until decades after exposure to asbestos.

South Wales law firm Hugh James acts for many victims, helping secure financial support for families. It has pledged £5,000 to Mesothelioma UK to support a programme to fund a specialist cancer nurse in Wales.

It also sponsors an event in Swansea today, raising awareness of asbestos dangers, run by Asbestos Awareness and Support Cymru.

Richard Green, specialist asbestos solicitor at Hugh James, sees first hand “the devastating impact the disease has not only on the victims but their families, who face the dreadful prospect of losing a loved one.”

“Mesothelioma remains an incurable disease at present and it is important we highlight this, and support those who suffer from the condition as best we can,” he said.