A SOUTHAMPTON man died from lung cancer brought on by smoking and asbestos exposure.

Michael Boyce, of Wildern Lane, Hedge End, smoked 60 cigarettes a day for over 40 years, during which he worked as a coppersmith, an inquest heard.

The 75-year-old died at Countess Mountbatten House hospice on November 15. Consultant pathologist at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Dr Raid Al-Talib, said Mr Boyce’s lung cancer was a direct result of his smoking and was exacerbated by exposure to asbestos.

“He would have had up to 40 times more risk because of his smoking,” he said.

“It was almost certainly due to the smoking. The asbestos had a probable contributing factor.”

Recording a narrative verdict, senior coroner for central and south Hampshire, Grahame Short, said: “Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of death but the asbestos exposure may well have contributed to the causation.”