Mesothelioma

She told the Tribune that she now fears for the lives of her friends and worries they are “burying their heads in the sand” instead of getting the proper tests.

There is no cure for Many sufferers die within a few months of diagnosis.

Ms Marsh, a police community support officer (PCSO) who now lives in Brighton, said: “We used to hang out in the boiler room, me and my friends.

“It was a real den for us where we would sit and smoke and drink a bit as kids do.

It was nice and warm in the winter.

“Of course, we just didn’t know at the time that the lagging was asbestos.” She believes her illness may have been compounded by working in an Islington Council-run mechanics’ workshop, where she had to sand brake pads containing asbestos.

She was never told it could harm her health.

Following her diagnosis in 2003, Ms Marsh reached an out-of-court settlement with Islington Council.

Her case was fought by solicitors Thompsons, which specialises in such claims.

Ms Marsh lives with her partner, Ann, 50, a beauty therapist, and is receiving chemotherapy treatment at Bart’s Hospital in Smithfield.

She fears some of her friends may also be suffering f...

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