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Secondary Exposure

Secondary Exposure to asbestos can be found in clothing

You may know that most cases of mesothelioma arise in people with direct exposure to asbestos, usually occurring in a workplace setting. These workers have either mined asbestos, manufactured asbestos-containing products, or used asbestos materials during their work.

But people can get an asbestos-related disease without ever working with or around the toxic mineral. Secondary exposure, or indirect exposure, can be just as dangerous.

Mill workers can be directly exposed to asbestos at the workplace

While any kind of exposure is much less common today than even 20 years ago, women faced an increased risk for secondary asbestos exposure when asbestos use was high during the mid-20th century.

At the time, men made up the majority of the industrial working class. The occupations within these industrial settings often required workers to handle asbestos-containing products. After a long day at on the job, workers could potentially carry home asbestos fibers on their hair, skin and clothes and create a secondary exposure risk for their families.

Did a Family Member Work in a Hazardous Environment?

Secondary Exposure Occurrences

Responsible for an impactful portion of mesothelioma cases among women, secondary asbestos exposure has also affected the lives of children. If exposed at an early age, people are much more likely to develop an asbestos-related disease late in their childhood or early into their adult life. Some of the most common ways a family member may have experienced secondary asbestos exposure included:

  • Laundry – Clothing of workers who handled asbestos products provided a significant risk for secondary exposure. Because of the jagged structure of asbestos fibers, the microscopic particles could easily attach to clothing. The person in the home who handled and washed these clothes likely experienced secondary asbestos exposure.
  • Furniture – If the individual bringing asbestos into the home had not changed or taken off asbestos-contaminated clothing by the time they sat down on furniture, tiny asbestos fibers could have become embedded in the couch, chairs, carpet, bed and other pieces of furniture.
  • Hugs – If a worker came home with asbestos fibers attached to their hair, skin or clothes and received hugs from their children or spouse, family members could have been subjected to secondary exposure. Some mesothelioma cases have developed from children sitting on their father’s or grandfather’s lap after the worker came home from work.

While family members who receive secondary exposure do not have any direct contact with asbestos-containing products, the amount of asbestos dust brought home is enough to cause mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease later in life.

Study Spotlight: Between 1941 and 1954, researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City studied the health of 679 family members from the 1,664 workers employed at a factory in Patterson, New Jersey. The researchers discovered five cases of mesothelioma among the family members of the factory workers. Sources of asbestos dust were also found in the homes of former Patterson factory workers 20 years after the factory shut down.

Are You at Risk?

If you have any additional questions about secondary asbestos exposure, complete the form on this page to receive a free packet that talks about secondary exposure and other risk factors for mesothelioma. If you have already been diagnosed and have more questions, feel free to ask our Patient Advocates through our Quick Question form.

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