Pictured: Father who died after being exposed to a 'cleaning' chemical

by · Mail Online

A father who died at his home after being exposed to a chemical used for cleaning has been pictured for the first time. 

Darren Aspinall, 57, suffered a cardiac arrest and was sadly pronounced dead at his house in Billinge, St Helens, on Saturday. 

Firefighters helped paramedics after the father was affected by exposure to Xylene at the semi-detached home.  

Xylene has various uses, including as a cleaning agent and a thinner for paint and varnishes.

Short-term exposure can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and affect the brain, while long-term exposure can lead to headaches, dizziness and heart problems.

Darren Aspinall, 57, suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at his house after being exposed to a chemical 
Heartbreaking tributes have since poured in for Darren, who was a beloved father 

Darren's son paid a heartbreaking tribute to his father in a post on Facebook, in which he wrote: 'It is with great sorrow I announce the passing of a greatly loved father, husband, brother, the most amazing dad, son in law and friend Darren Aspinall, born 9th of October 1966 on Saturday the 28th of September at his home address in Billinge with his family who love him so very much. RIP love you dad.' 

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Other tributes have also flooded in for Darren. On person said: 'Your dad was a real character, I worked with him at Qumu and we only actually met once. I know how proud he was of his family. It's a terrible loss, I am so sorry.'

Another added: 'Condolences to you and your family, your dad was much loved I know I'm gonna miss him. Great guy so many laughs and not too long ago.'

Another person said: 'Your dad was a great bloke and gentleman. Had the pleasure of knowing him for a short time but what a guy! And just realized we share the same birthday. Rip we have lost a great one.'

Multiple GoFundMe pages have been set up in Darren's memory. Chris Walker set up a fundraising page to help Darren's 19-year-old son cover the costs of the cleaning business they ran together.

On the GoFundMe page, Chris wrote: 'You may or may not know that the cleaning industry lost one of the true greats this weekend, Darren Aspinall. One of the kindest and most helpful people I have ever met. If you needed anything, you could ask Darren and he would help you anyway he could.

Emergency services rushed to Douglas Avenue (pictured) in Billinge, St Helens on Saturday to reports that a man in his 50s had collapsed in the street

'His passing has caught his entire family on the back foot, as you can imagine, especially Fergus. His dad's protégé and future owner of ProClean ECS. 

'Fergus being 19 is struggling to get van insurance so he can keep running the business to look after his mum and siblings, just as Darren had done in the previous years. This go fund me will hopefully help Fergus get back on the road again.'

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police previously said: 'We can confirm that emergency services attended a report of concern for the safety of a man in Billinge this morning (Saturday 28 September).

'At around 10.20am, officers were called to Douglas Avenue to reports that a man in his 50s had suffered a cardiac arrest. Paramedics attended and he was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene. 

'The man's death is not being treated as suspicious and his next of kin have been informed.'