Mesothelioma

A toxic generation "Teaching is not a profession you associate with asbestos," she said.

"Experts believe I must have contracted the disease from the fibres in the pinboards at school." The grandmother-of-two is now mounting a landmark legal fight but fears a ticking timebomb of other school cancer cases affecting staff and pupils.

It is a disease once thought to be the product of working in heavy industry, so the mum-of-three and her husband Tony were at a loss to explain her illness.

It is believed that the former primary school teacher may have contracted the cancer after pinning up the work of pupils on asbestos-packed pinboards and classroom walls.

Now Margaret, from Darlaston, is considering taking legal action against education chiefs and fears that other school staff may unwittingly be facing a similar fate.

The gran-of-two explained: "My husband Tony and I were both so shocked when the doctor diagnosed "I have always led a healthy lifestyle.

I have never smoked.

And teaching is not a profession you associate with asbestos exposure." Recent research by the National Union of Teachers has highlighted the link.

There is a risk to staff who insert and remove drawing pins and staples when mounting displays on school ceilings, walls and pinboards containing asbestos.

The union concluded that teachers, support staff and even pupils could be at risk of breathing in the deadly fibres, possibly leading to an asbestos-related dis...