According to Shari Freer-Darney, her husband passed away in January as a result of exposure to poisonous mould at the Logan, south of Brisbane, police station where he had worked for 20 years.
Mould may be seen on the ceiling and furnishings in pictures taken while Senior Constable Justin Darney was stationed there.
Freer-Darney alleges that her spouse raised the issue ten years before he became ill.
According to Freer-Darney, he informed her, “This really sucks” at the conclusion of the conversation.
He remarked, “I could understand being shot or having something bad happen to me while performing my duties, but mould? Why?”
Since the officer was a painter prior to joining the police department, Darney allegedly received the instruction to “paint over it.”
His widow claimed, “They painted a few walls in the station in an attempt to get rid of the mould, but obviously it was just covering it up.”
At the age of 38, Darney became ill and was later found to have an aggressive and rare form of pancreatic cancer.
“When we entered a doctor’s office, the doctor apologised. He informed me that I had pancreatic cancer and that it had gone to my liver, said Freer-Darney.
I can still picture Justin’s shocked expression and his words, “Oh my God, am I going to die?”
Sean Sweeney, an attorney specialising in asbestos and dust sickness, claimed that more could have been done to prevent Darney’s death.
An environmental consultant examined Logan Central Station, according to a statement from a Queensland Police spokeswoman, and determined it to be “a safe work environment and suitable for the designated use.”
Freer-Darney, however, wants an investigation into her husband’s passing.
In order to reply to Freer-Darney’s request for an inquest, the coroner has six months.
