David Bennett, 63, was one of thousands of people employed by Smart and Brown, in Spennymoor, during the 1960s and 70s David Bennett, who is now retired and lives in Croxdale, County Durham , was diagnosed with mesothelioma in March 2016 – a cancer of the lung’s linings usually caused by exposure to asbestos. The 63-year-old instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how and where he was exposed to asbestos dust.