Luke Brooks: Mould in lungs was not prevalent in home, inquest hears

Jul 15, 2023

Mould played a part in the death of a man whose family said lived in a damp house, an inquest has been told.

Luke Brooks' parents have previously claimed mould in their Oldham home caused his death in October 2022.

Pathologist Dr Abdul Ganjifrockwala told Rochdale Coroner's Court Mr Brooks had aspergillus in his lungs.

Fungus expert Prof Malcolm Richardson later said he found "very, very little" evidence of the mould in the house during tests in April 2023.

Dr Ganjifrockwala told the inquest Mr Brooks died from acute respiratory distress syndrome which was caused by aspergillus pneumonia.

He told the hearing aspergillus was a type of mould which he found in Mr Brooks' lungs during a post-mortem examination.

The pathologist was asked by senior coroner Joanne Kearsley whether it was possible to contract pneumonia for other reasons - even if the fungus was present.

He said it was but on the balance of probabilities, he thought aspergillus was the cause in this case.

"This is because of the presence of the organisms there," he said.

"Had the organisms not been present, this would be bog-standard bronchial pneumonia."

Ms Kearsley asked the pathologist about Mr Brooks' condition, which deteriorated quickly across six days after he developed symptoms including a cough, a rash and a sore throat.

The inquest was told he died in his bedroom after experiencing what his friend described as a seizure.

Dr Ganjifrockwala said it was possible the symptoms were evidence of a viral infection which "could have made his lungs more susceptible to the development of aspergillus infection".

He also agreed when asked by Ms Kearsley if he still felt aspergillus "had a part in Luke's death".

The pathologist said his findings originally suggested "heavily mould-infested accommodation" had been a factor in Mr Brooks' death, but agreed with the coroner that he had now deferred this conclusion to other experts, "solely because they have more experience in this area".

The inquest has previously heard from Mr Brooks' mother Patsy, who said their private landlord did not rectify the multiple problems in the property.

It has also heard Mr Brooks lived in "squalor" in the bedroom where he spent most of his time, and which he shared with his friend Chris Haycock and their three dogs.

Prof Malcolm Richardson later told the inquest he agreed the mould found in Mr Brooks's lungs was aspergillus, but the black mould found in his Huxley Street home was mostly penicillium, which was not a pathogen.

The professor said he examined the house in April 2023 and found "very, very little" evidence of aspergillus, with just one spore found in the bedroom where Mr Brooks died.

He said it was "unfortunate" samples were not taken in the house at the time of Mr Brooks's death, but it was "hard to believe" that aspergillus was growing in the house at that time.

He said there was more aspergillus in the everyday outdoor environment and the mould was much more common on rotting vegetation.

He added that it was impossible to say where the aspergillus in Mr Brooks' lungs had come from but there was no example in academic literature of aspergillus pneumonia being caused by chronic mould in homes.

The hearing continues.

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HM Courts & Tribunals Service