YORK'S asbestos legacy has taken a disturbing new twist with the death of a former Carriageworks employee's son.

An inquest heard how 54-year-old John Dawson, of Heworth, was killed by the asbestos-related disease mesothelioma, even though he had never worked in a contaminated environment.

His widow, Margaret, told the inquest how his father, Robert, had worked at the carriageworks in the 1950s and 60s when John was a child, and had come home every night in dusty overalls

She believed her husband had breathed in asbestos fibres from the overalls. This had lodged in his lungs and led decades later to the illness developing.

News of Mr Dawson's death comes only months after the York wife of a carriageworks employee died from mesothelioma, again thought to have been caused by her husband's overalls.

Mrs Dawson's solicitor and asbestos legal expert Toby Conyers-Kelly, of Hethertons, said today this was the first case he had heard of in York involving the child of a carriageworks employee.

"It does give cause for concern," he said.

Asked if he believed this would just be a one-off case, he said many other children of carriageworks' employees were potentially at risk, adding: "I would not expect a large number of cases, but I do not think it will be an isolated case."

The inquest was told how Mr Dawson's father used to come home each day and shake his dusty overalls in the back yard.

Mr Conyers-Kelly said that when John was a teenager, he regularly used to be working on his motorbike in the yard when his father came home.

He confirmed that the family was pursuing legal action against the British Railways Board over Mr Dawson's death.

York coroner Donald Coverdale recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said: "He did not work with asbestos but there is evidence that he was exposed to the dust from his father's overalls."

According to a post mortem examination, there were high levels of asbestos bodies in Mr Dawson's lungs.

Mr Dawson had spent his working life as a French polisher in York and only fell ill last August after leading a full and healthy life. It was in January that doctors asked Mr Dawson if he had ever been exposed to asbestos.

Mrs Dawson said this was when the couple realised that his father's dusty overalls must have contaminated him.

She said: "There can be no other explanation for my husband's condition and death."

A BRB spokesman said today: "It does seem to be a highly unusual case, and a very unfortunate incident. Obviously, if a claim is made it will be dealt with in an appropriate manner."

Updated: 11:27 Thursday, July 05, 2001