Pauline Bonney vividly remembers the day she found out her husband was going to die - it was the eve of her fifth wedding anniversary.

That was August 1998 and just a few months later - with Christmas not long passed - he was dead at 51, cruelly having fallen victim to mesothelioma - a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

"I tried to carry on but John's words gutted my world. Every day became a day nearer to his death from asbestos. I felt he was being cheated out of his life, and I was being cheated out of my life with him."

John had inhaled the deadly fibres as a young man when he worked as an apprentice electrician. Like many other tradesmen at that time, he never knew the risks associated with his work, nor was he ever told about or offered protective wear.

He was a location technician setting up lighting in theatres and film studios. He came into contact with asbestos through handling wires coated in the substance.

Along with many colleagues, John was never told of the risks of working with this deadly substance. Pauline said if he knew the risks, he would have demanded he was protected:

"John was an active man. He was hard-working, skilled, energetic and had a positive outlook on life. If he had any idea his life was being put at risk through his job, he would have insisted on being kept safe. I have no doubt he'd have ensured he was protected. Such simple things like training and masks and surveying buildings for asbestos would have saved his life."

John had always been fit and healthy but 30 years after he changed jobs he developed a cough and flu-like symptoms. He thought it would pass, but instead it got worse. A dedicated family man, he carried on working and tried to protect his wife and two stepdaughters, Christy and Jenna, but he could not hide his illness for long.

Several months after his symptoms first appeared, John collapsed at home. His lips turned blue and his chest was tight. At this point, both John and Pauline knew it was not something that would go away on its own. Pauline took John to hospital where he was wrongly diagnosed with pleurisy - the truth turned out to be much worse.

John's health deteriorated and the treatment he was given did not help his condition. His desire to protect his family and keep the terrible truth from them as long as possible, led to him making trips to the doctor in secret.

He went for treatment but mesothelioma is a terminal illness. He carried on putting his wife and family first until he died on 26 February 1999 in a local hospital.

Pauline has since learnt that other people who worked as electricians, like John, have also developed symptoms and died. She has a strong message for employers and workers today:

"This disease can be prevented, so it should it prevented. Young people now should be aware of the dangers of asbestos. Workers need to know the risks, have training and protect themselves. Employers should not cut corners; they need to keep their workers safe. Nothing is worth risking people's lives like this for.

"Regulations are in place. Please, please adhere to them. John was not the first to suffer in this way, and sadly he won't be the last but there is hope for the young tradesmen of today."

Ten years on from John's death, Pauline still volunteers with the South East Victim Support Group where she helps family members affected by the death of loved ones to asbestos-related diseases.

She is backing the Health and Safety Executive's Hidden Killer campaign, which launches nationwide on 2nd November 2009. The campaign aims to raise awareness among tradesman of the risks posed by asbestos and will target plumbers, electricians, joiners and other general maintenance workers with the hard-hitting fact that every week on average 20 tradesmen die from this hidden killer. Tradesmen need to understand the risks and their rights when working with asbestos, and take action to protect themselves so they don't end up exposed to asbestos like John - "a victim of asbestos needlessly killed".