A joiner from West Lothian has told how he is coming to terms with the fact that he has fallen victim to Britain's biggest industrial killer - asbestos.

John Greig, who lives in Whitburn, spent more than a decade as a wood worker on the railway coaches in Glasgow during the 50s and early 60s. When metal coaches were introduced John worked on the coaches ripping out the asbestos lagging by hand. Little did he know that this exposure to asbestos would eventually lead to mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the lungs.

Like many tradesmen at the time John worked with asbestos and never knew the risks. No protective equipment or clothing was provided or used until later years - when the danger was well known.

John retired from his career as a woodworker/ joiner when he was 65, yet still full of energy he took on a part time job in the local supermarket working until he was 72 years.

John's first symptom of the deadly disease was a chesty cough. Aged 74 years, John was diagnosed with mesothelioma - this was over 50 years after his initial exposure to the deadly substance asbestos. He was given 10-14 months to live.

Mesothelioma can take anywhere from 15 to 60 years before it becomes active and starts attacking the external lining of the lungs. The majority of sufferers die within one or two years of being diagnosed.

In the early stages of his diagnosis in 2005, John underwent several operations to remove fluid from his lungs, the last one in 2008.

"I looked liked Spiderman with tubes coming out of me; they removed four litres of fluid on one particular occasion.

"What happens with mesothelioma is that you are drowning on dry land. There is no cure for it - your lungs are just closing up all the time.

"It's horrible to see x-rays of your lungs getting blacker and blacker - that makes it real."

John explained that his wife and family were devastated with the news of his illness. His main worry following his diagnosis was to make sure that all his paperwork and business was in order before he died.

Four years after his diagnosis John now 78 years, explains the effect the illness has had on his life:

"You just can't do what you'd like to do. I can't fly anymore and I am very tired. I loved walking but now my limit is walking 100 yards very slowly.

"You have to adapt and find ways to do things that you used to take for granted, like bending down and going up the stairs. Tying my shoe laces was too much of an effort and all of my shoes are now the slip on type." "You get annoyed at yourself because you can't do what you used to do. But you've got to make light of it. You can't let it get to you."

John and his late wife Mary loved to spend time with their friends and family, and take holidays abroad. Following his diagnosis with mesothelioma John could no longer travel - and despite his encouragement, his wife never took another holiday because she was too scared to leave him.

John would like to pay tribute to the outstanding work of Clydeside Action on Asbestos Support Group whose support he is very grateful for. He is now an active member of the group, campaigning to raise awareness of asbestos and providing one-to-one support to those struggling to come to terms with their diagnosis of mesothelioma.

John summarises his motivation to the cause:

"What's past is past but you can do something about tomorrow."

He has a very strong message for the tradesmen of today and in particular to those just starting out on their career:

"Asbestos is something you don't see and it took me 40 years before I displayed symptoms and discovered I had mesothelioma. Please learn from my story.

"Don't be fooled by asbestos, don't be macho.

"Nothing can make up for your health but you don't realise that when you are young. Be careful, use the correct equipment and remember the dangers.

"Listen to the messages of this campaign."

John is backing the Health and Safety Executive's national campaign called "Asbestos - the Hidden Killer". The campaign aims to raise awareness among tradesmen of the risks posed by asbestos and will target plumbers, electricians, joiners and other 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, and many others.