Toxic Drug Exposure
24/02/2003
Thank you so much for handling my case so well. You came to know us at a great time of sadness and you were so kind. We will always remember you as very professional but also very warm hearted.
Sylvia, Tamworth'Tonight with Trevor McDonald' Monday, February 24, 2003 at 8pm on ITV1
Tonight with Trevor McDonald will feature this evening, the shocking stories of three women who have unknowingly been exposed to potentially toxic dust which has carcinogenic properties.
For years, they worked alongside their many colleagues handling and packing Imuran tablets. They never suspected anything despite the serious and similar illnesses suffered by themselves and their colleagues. Up until a few months ago, workers on the Imuran production lines at the GlaxoSmithKline plant in Dartford, Kent had no idea as to the cause of their illnesses, which include non-hodgkins lymphomas, cancers, miscarriages, birth defects and skin sensitisation.
Each individual affected has had some level of exposure to the drug - some were involved in putting together pre-packed tablets into boxes, others would handle the tablets directly. In their normal state many of the tablets would have a film coating but on the production line it was common that the tablets would be chipped or broken releasing dust into the air. Others, which were not coated at all, were handled more carefully although workers were still exposed to dust in the packing department. The workers allege that they had no idea as to the harmful side effects of handling this drug and its dust and that the appropriate protection was not provided. Those affected have reported that they did not always wear masks and often did not wear gloves. They would go for lunch and breaks without washing their hands and would take their overalls home to put in the wash with their families clothes.
Now a group of current and ex-workers have approached leading specialist health law firm Alexander Harris to pursue their claims. Richard Follis, a Partner at Alexander Harris and who features in the Tonight With Trevor McDonald programme today said:
"Workers have reported to us that they were told not to read any of the information leaflets that they were packing. They now realise that if they had done so they would have discovered the risks that they were running. The toxicity of Imuran is well documented. It is a pity these women were not told about it." "Although those working with the uncoated tablets were given full air suits for protection, those who had to unblock machinery or deal with crushed tablets and other dust were barely given any protection. Our clients were amazed to discover that the toxicity of Imuran and the danger caused by breathing it are well documented in scientific literature." Anyone who wishes to seek legal advice should contact the Imuran team at Alexander Harris Solicitors on freephone 08080 774477.
MEDIA INFORMATION - 21st February 2003
Those people affected have asked that all media calls are directed through the media management department at their lawyers Alexander Harris. For further information please contact the Media Management and Marketing Director Emma Smith or PR Executive Claire Rowley of Alexander Harris on 0161 925 5555 / 0161 925 5527 / 07733 114430. Alternatively you can email your requests to emma.smith@alexanderharris.co.uk We would be grateful if you could please observe the families wishes and contact Alexander Harris direct.
CHEMICAL GIANT TO BE SUED OVER 'TOXIC DRUG EXPOSURE' 'Tonight with Trevor McDonald' Monday, February 24, 2003 at 8pm on ITV1 Three former employees of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline are planning to take legal action against the company because they fear that working with a highly toxic drug has had a catastrophic effect on their health and that of their children, a TV investigation reveals tonight. Speaking exclusively to ITV1's Tonight with Trevor McDonald at 8pm this evening [Monday] the women say working with the drug has led to an array of serious illnesses - including cancer and birth defects - and more former staff are set to come forward. Glaxo says that it has launched a "detailed investigation" into the claims made by the women who all worked on the firm's Imuran production line, an effective treatment for patients who have undergone organ transplants.
It has long been known that anyone exposed to the drug for long periods could experience serious side effects, including cancer and birth defects. But it was thought that there was no risk in working with tablets that had been coated with a protective layer, so that the dangerous drug they contained was sealed inside. However, if the pills were broken or the coating damaged while on the production line the highly toxic Imuran could escape into the atmosphere.
Vanda Lewis worked as a packer on the Imuran production line in Dartford during her seventeen years with the company before leaving in 2001. Because the coated tablets she packed were occasionally crushed, Vanda believes she was exposed to the drug's dust.
"When you completed, you had yellow dust on your hands and you just used to wipe it down your overall and carry on working." After suffering a miscarriage, Vanda's daughter Emma - who is now four years-old - was diagnosed with hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and her mother believes her miscarriage and Emma's condition were a direct result of her job at Glaxo. "My husband and I often spoke about the amount of miscarriages there was actually, on the packing floor, in such a short time. The amount of deformities with babies, the amount of problems with cancers that people had been having.
For a small amount of people - women - working together, there were so many different problems. We had often said we wondered what caused these problems, could it be possibly down to a drug?… "I blamed myself when my daughter was first born. 'Did I do everything right? Did I? Was I right in the pregnancy?' I gave up smoking, I ate the right foods, I didn't lift anything. Yet when my daughter was born I felt so guilty that I had done something wrong, I blamed myself for ages. But now knowing that it could have been that I worked with this particular drug that's caused this problem I feel really bad… "The tablets would come in a tub and you'd have to go up the steps. You'd open the tub and tip the bags of drug into the hopper…and you'd get like a cloud of smoke. Obviously your face and whatever was exposed would get Imuran dust on it." "People used to come out in rashes round their eyes, on their skin when they used to work this particular drug and when ever you took the mask off you would have red marks all round your face here."
Dr Robert Baan, from the International Agency for Research into Cancer, tells Tonight: "For a Group One agent - an agent that is known to be a carcinogen to humans - the generally accepted rule is there is no dose below which there is no danger. Even the smallest dose gives a very small but very definite risk of cancer. So the rule is to avoid contact with agents like this at all times… Angela Gurr worked at the Glaxo plant for 12 years before leaving in May 2001 and for much of that time she worked with Imuran. She was 26 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and feels Glaxo is responsible: "I may have got cancer [anyway] but I feel that through working on this drug and them knowing that it causes lymph cancer, breast cancer, different kinds of cancer, I feel they are to blame…
"I worked on that line for 12 years and all the evidence I've found for myself says that exposure to Imuran can cause this. We were exposed to the dust. I don't care what they say. Every day we worked on that line we were exposed to the dust… "I don't let my children go anywhere without me because to me every moment I spend with them is a special moment. Because this time next year I might not be here." Jill Elliott worked at Glaxo for thirteen years before leaving in January last year. After speaking to other women who worked on the production line - believes the death of her two day-old baby boy ten years ago was more than coincidence: She tells Tonight reporter Fiona Foster:
"We used to sit on the hand packing line and we'd have discussions - there was a lot of people, a lot of women there with infertility problems, a lot of cancer…. Solicitor Richard Follis, of Alexander Harris Solicitors, is now representing a number of women who worked on the Imuran production lines - including Vanda, Angela and Jill. He tells the programme: "For the individuals concerned, someone who suffers one of these conditions will probably put it down to bad luck. When you look at the number of people who have had similar problems in the same workplace being exposed to the same irritants then a different picture starts to emerge."
GlaxoSmithKline is investigating the allegations and - in a written statement - David Mawdsley, Director of UK Corporate Media told the programme: "GlaxoSmithKline has been notified of three potential claims from former employees of the company's Dartford UK manufacturing site. The three former employees allege that they have suffered different conditions arising from an alleged exposure to Azathioprine, the active ingredient in the drug Imuran, which is produced by the company.
"The company is concerned to hear of these former employees' health problems, but there is no evidence that these can be linked to working with Azathioprine. No evidence has yet been put forward which establishes any link between the symptoms complained of and the alleged exposure.
"GlaxoSmithKline takes its health and safety responsibilities extremely seriously and seeks to protect all of its employees from any risks associated with their work. The handling of Azathioprine, the active ingredient in Imuran, is governed by rules and regulations, regulated by government and medical agencies. The company complies with legislation and monitors the production of the drug carefully. Staff are trained in the procedures to handle the drug safely.
"GlaxoSmithKline is in the process of actively carrying out a detailed investigation into the alleged exposure and into the claimed link between the drug and any symptoms. Whilst investigations are on-going, it is too early to either pre-judge issues or to make any further specific comment about the individual cases concerned."
Also see The Guardian.
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