While many people are aware that asbestos exposure in the workplace could lead to the development of mesothelioma years later, there are also concerns about the risks of secondhand asbestos exposure for family members of exposed workers.

Secondhand asbestos exposure can affect family members and others living inside the home when a worker who has come into contact with asbestos brings these fibers into the home.

Residents inside the same home can be put at risk through secondhand asbestos exposure, which can lead to similar conditions as those that can affect the worker like lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Secondhand asbestos exposure is more commonly identified with children and women.

Prior to the passage of regulations that limited asbestos workers from bringing home these fibers by changing clothes at the workplace, it was common for a worker to wear these fibers home on their shoes, tools and work clothes. Many employers did not let employees know of the risks of asbestos exposure.

Secondhand Asbestos Dangers

The dangers of secondhand asbestos exposure are just as severe as firsthand exposure since they can lead to serious health issues. Long term and repeated secondhand asbestos exposure can cause the same cancers and diseases as primary exposure.

Secondhand asbestos exposure might also be referred to as take home exposure, secondary asbestos exposure, domestic exposure, household exposure, and para occupational exposure.

Secondhand asbestos exposure is not as common today as it was decades ago. Employers have to provide employees a place to change out of their work clothes. Employees are meant to leave these clothes at the workplace to be cleaned or worn again to decrease the risk of bringing the asbestos fibers home.

Employers have to use specific laundering services to address contaminated work clothes before they can be re-worn by the employee. Due to the dangers of these fibers, workers should not wash work clothing and usually do not have access to these specific laundering services. However, this was not the case decades ago.

Mesothelioma Risk

Despite the fact that any form of asbestos exposure is less common than it was decades ago, many of the people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer have developed it 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years after the initial exposure.

Secondhand exposure makes up a significant portion of mesothelioma cases affecting children and women. If children are exposed to asbestos fibers at an early age, they could develop an asbestos related medical condition in their older years. Mesothelioma is a rare disease for children, because the latency period between the time of asbestos fiber exposure and development of an asbestos related disease can range from 20 to 50 years.

Secondhand asbestos exposure can occur through laundry, furniture, or hugs and other contact with an exposed worker.

If you did not work directly in an environment that could have exposed you to asbestos but have developed significant medical conditions and problems that you believe are tied to secondhand asbestos exposure, you could have grounds to pursue a lawsuit.