A previously healthy man who lived in a cold, damp and mouldy house did not die because of conditions in the property, a coroner has ruled.
Luke Brooks, 27, from Oldham, died at his home last October from an acute respiratory illness. A postmortem examination found aspergillus, a type of mould, on Brooks’ lung, and aspergillus pneumonia was diagnosed.
His parents, Patricia and James, blamed mould in the house they shared with Luke.
On Thursday the senior coroner Joanne Kearsley told the Brooks family that disrepairs had not played a part in Luke’s death. She said: “I do appreciate you had some genuine concerns about the property and my findings do not take away from the fact that things did need to be done to the house.
“Whilst the property within which Luke resided was in need of some repairs, neither the disrepairs nor any damp caused or contributed to Luke’s death.”
She said the family was “quite right to raise these concerns – I absolutely understand that”.
In a statement afterwards, the family said the house where Brooks had died was not a good place to live.
“It didn’t feel like a real home, no matter how hard we tried. For three years, there was no proper heating and it was so cold that you could see your breath when you talked,” they said.
They tried to tell people about their issues “but they didn’t listen … we felt ignored. Things need to change. Many people live in houses with mould, but they’re scared to say anything because they worry their landlord will kick them out. Tenants should feel safe speaking up about their living conditions.”
Their son’s death had left a big hole in their lives, they said, “like a puzzle missing a piece that can never be found”.
The coroner said she would make a number of prevention of future death reports, including regarding a proposed landlord registry.
The family said: “We might never fully get over this, but we hope that because of the interest people have shown in this inquest and the changes that will come from it, other lives might be saved.”
The inquest in Rochdale heard evidence the property had multiple problems and was cold, damp and mouldy.
Before he died, Brooks reported symptoms including a sore throat, coughing, vomiting, diarrhoea and a rash, which were taken to be a viral infection.
The discovery of aspergillus on his lung was a reason why the Brooks family were convinced conditions in the house were a factor in his death.
However, the inquest heard evidence from a consultant medical mycologist, Prof Malcolm Richardson, who said he found “very, very little” evidence of aspergillus in the house. Dr Chris Kosmidis, a consultant in infectious diseases, said he had been unable to find any case where aspergillus pneumonia had been linked to a mouldy home.
Spores of aspergillus are inhaled daily by people but it does not have the ability to cause disease in healthy people. However, Kosmodis said, it can cause disease if a person’s immune system has been severely weakened.
The inquest heard that aspergillus is a grass eater and generally grows outside, but it can grow on damp clothes and textiles, dust and roll-up cigarettes. There is evidence of a link between cannabis and aspergillus, which could not be proven, Richardson told the inquest.
In her conclusion, Kearsley said: “Luke predominantly resided in his bedroom which was in an unsanitary condition. He also smoked roll-up cigarettes and used cannabis. Due to these factors it is not possible to determine the source of the aspergillus.”
Kearsley said Brooks’ reaction to aspergillus pneumonia was “extreme” given his age and that he had no history of any serious medical problems.
Kearsley last year oversaw the inquest into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak. In that case, she concluded that mould in the social housing flat of Awaab’s family had caused his death, and said she hoped it would be “a defining moment” for the housing sector.
The findings led to resignations at the social housing provider and the government bringing in tougher legislation on mould.
