But before he dies he wants to be heard.

And what he wants to express is his despair that he and other Mr Fluffy homeowners who succumb to this insidious disease have been deserted by government.

Mr Georgiou hoped to launch a test case against the Commonwealth but was told last month by his lawyers at Maurice Blackburn he had almost no chance of success.

He was devastated by the news.

He is now living his final weeks in the Oncology ward of the Canberra Hospital with his four children by his side.

Mr Georgiou wanted to sue the Commonwealth for breaching its duty of care to him and his family after it was warned by a physicist in 1968 that the Mr Fluffy asbestos insulation being installed across Canberra was dangerous.

Mr Georgiou believes that not only was the Commonwealth negligent because it failed to prevent Dirk Jansen installing the product, but it also failed to warn residents of the health risks they faced.

The Georgious moved into their McGregor home in June 1978.

And after one bitter winter they decided to install pink batts.

Mr Georgiou and his then 13-year-old-son Andrew crawled up into the roof space to get the job done.

"For two days we crawled around on our hands and knees in asbestos, it got into my nose, it got into my mouth," Andrew said.

A year ago Andrew was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue.

His mother, and Mr Georgiou's wife, Carol succumbed to breast cancer in 1997.

An aunt has been diagnosed with cancer.

Even the two family cats who slept in the roof space died of multiple tumours.

The grandfather of three said he trusted the ACT government when his house was "cleaned" of asbestos in 1992.

What the family did not know was that the contractors hired to do the job put the bags full of amosite under the house, rather than dispose of it under strict safety protocols.

The discovery last year of the hidden asbestos resulted in the house being locked down by Work Safety officials while it was disposed of.

Andrew said the litany of mistakes, buck-passing and negligence surrounding Mr Fluffy was astounding.

Mr Georgiou sold the family home in 2003 and about a year and a half ago was diagnosed with mesothelioma – a disease caused by asbestos exposure.

A jeweller by trade, Mr Georgiou remembers being safety-conscious and hiding pieces of jewellery under the Mr Fluffy asbestos in his ceiling cavity.

"I touched it all the time."

His remaining days are filled with despair that his children have been exposed and that their lives may end prematurely due to mesothelioma.

Andrew said watching his dad succumb to the disease was "incredibly difficult" and that he had to keep his own anxiety about his Mr Fluffy exposure "in check".

"What is done is done. And I cannot change that. But what is truly devastating now is that no one is prepared to take responsibility for what was a known hazard at the time. Remember that back then Canberra was very tightly regulated in almost every way by the Commonwealth."

Mr Georgiou desperately hoped that his would be the test case that forced the Commonwealth to pay compensation to his family "and to all the other families who will face this same disease. Many, many, many more generations will be affected. That is the tragedy."

Maurice Blackburn asbestos lawyer Theodora Ahilas said she understood Mr Georgiou's frustrations.

"We have written advice from three eminent barristers who believe Mr Georgiou's specific claim relating to his Mr Fluffy exposure would not succeed. As Mr Georgiou's legal representatives, we have always been mindful to protect him from any adverse cost orders. The possibility of running this case in court to a verdict and losing the case would have meant Mr Georgiou would have been responsible for the Commonwealth's costs. Such costs could have amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This was not a risk we wanted him to take in this litigation."

She noted that the firm had managed to secure him a Dust Diseases Board pension for him and had never charged for their services.

They were also "continuing to act for other people who have developed mesothelioma following exposure to Mr Fluffy asbestos. Each case is different and turns on its own facts and circumstances and each person is given legal advice on the merits of their individual exposure."

It is believed half a dozen Mr Fluffy residents currently have mesothelioma.

Mr Georgiou said a legal case was never just about monetary compensation – but about forcing the Commonwealth to accept responsibility for failing the people of the ACT.

"They refuse to accept responsibility. They refuse. Where is the justice in that? I want to speak out because this cannot be swept under the covers.

"I wanted to go to court to feel some satisfaction for all the suffering it has caused. I wanted to feel I had achieved something for my family and for other families. I am so sorry for my children."