University of Manchester to pay settlement to former worker diagnosed with mesothelioma

A former worker has received a settlement of £400,000 from the University of Manchester after contracting a fatal asbestos disease. The university admitted responsibility for exposing him to asbestos, which led to his diagnosis of mesothelioma, a terminal cancer almost always caused by asbestos exposure.

This is the latest in a string of claims filed by ex-workers who were exposed to asbestos at leading UK universities and subsequently developed terminal illnesses.

“Not told of dangers”

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, lived in the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) halls of residence in the late 1970s before later working at UMIST’s Barnes Wallis Building. UMIST became part of the University of Manchester in 2004.

He says he was routinely exposed to asbestos while carrying out his job, without warnings, training, or protective equipment.

He recalls working in an environment where frequent leaks would result in ceiling tiles, panels and debris containing asbestos falling into working areas and high-traffic public areas. Staff then had to remove and clean up the debris as best they could. “Leaks and falls resulting in debris were simply an accepted fact of life,” he said. “Asbestos debris would just be left there, and we were expected to deal with it. No one ever told us of the potential dangers involved.”

Decades later, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, for which there is no cure.

Following legal action brought on his behalf through UNISON’s lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors, the University of Manchester, which now incorporates UMIST, admitted liability. The case was settled out of court for £400,000.

As part of the settlement, the University’s insurer is funding further private chemotherapy treatment for him. This follows earlier advice from his treating clinicians that he was not eligible for any further treatment through the NHS.

The former employee said taking action was about accountability, not just compensation. “I know I’m not the only one put at risk,” he said. “Other workers and students have been exposed in these buildings. I’m speaking out because this should never have been allowed to happen, and it must not keep happening.”

Amanda Jones, who leads the specialist asbestos team at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “This is a devastating and entirely preventable case. Our client was exposed to asbestos at work while doing his job, with no warning and no protection. The University has accepted that these failures led directly to his illness.

“I’m pleased we were able to secure a settlement that will provide much-needed support for our client’s care and treatment.”

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “Our sympathies go out to the former employee affected in this case. We take these matters very seriously, and now have in place a robust and effective programme of asbestos surveys, remediation, removal and disposal.”

He is not the first person to develop an asbestos disease after working for the university. According to a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request filed by Confront in late 2024, the University of Manchester has received 22 legal compensation claims related to asbestos exposure since 2000. The university said it did not hold information on the outcome of these claims, the compensation paid, nor did it disclose how many of the claims had been settled.

Asbestos and the University of Manchester

While asbestos was fully banned in the UK in 1999, yet it continues to contaminate many British buildings, including the University of Manchester.

In 2025, Confront published an investigation looking at the state of asbestos still in leading UK universities. We found that the University of Manchester had 13,079 different locations containing asbestos, more than any of the 44 universities we contacted.

The university’s high number of locations with asbestos-containing materials is due in part to its size. After Victoria University of Manchester and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) merged to form the University of Manchester in 2004, it became the largest university estate in the country.

The partial version of Manchester’s asbestos register shared with Confront in 2025 reveals the types of asbestos-containing materials still in buildings. This includes insulation, sprayed asbestos, rope, gaskets, board, mastic, panels, cement, and vinyl flooring. The risk from asbestos products varies depending on several factors, including its location, material, and condition.

These asbestos-containing materials were spread out across the university’s older buildings. Asbestos was found in offices (1,900 asbestos-containing materials), bedrooms (525), lecture theatres (84), various plant rooms (550), laboratories (791), alongside the exterior of the building, corridors, stairwells, kitchens and concealed spaces like ducts, risers and voids.

A University of Manchester spokesperson said, “Like all historic universities, asbestos is in some buildings at The University of Manchester and it is an issue we take incredibly seriously. Our dedicated Asbestos Management Team remains committed to student and staff welfare, as demonstrated by its ongoing robust and effective programme of asbestos surveys, remediation, removal and disposal.”

Some of the buildings in the university’s portfolio with large numbers of asbestos-containing materials include the Stopford Building, Chemistry Building, and the Williamson Building.

* The Faraday Tower has been vacant and is scheduled for demolition, according to recent news reports. All data is according to a partial register shared with Confront in 2025. 

Confront asked in April 2025 to see evidence on how asbestos was inspected and managed regularly within the university. In response to an updated FOIA request, it then provided complete documentation only for a small, seemingly vacant, outbuilding containing fewer than 0.1% of the asbestos-containing materials on Manchester’s campus. Attempts to receive a response from the university for further information about its other buildings have been unsuccessful, despite prior assurances that a full response would be provided.

There is a sizable cost in managing asbestos for universities, especially since the introduction of the ‘Duty to Manage Asbestos’ in 2004. Accoridng to our FOIA request, in their last full financial year alone, the University of Manchester spent £3,184,938 on asbestos management and removal.

The asbestos industry knew by 1960 that its products could cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. However, asbestos production continued, peaking in the 1970s. Today, institutions are left paying the bill, while thousands of people still continue to contract terminal illnesses from asbestos each year.