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Women and Asbestos Exposure

Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, most people have perceived asbestos exposure as a risk that almost solely affects the male gender. Though asbestos-related diseases affect men in larger numbers, women are also susceptible to developing these serious illnesses. Some studies have even found that women are more susceptible than men for contracting mesothelioma and other asbestos-induced diseases.

Exposure Risks and Women

The majority of asbestos exposures among women occur due to secondary exposure, which takes place when a friend, family member, or loved one brings asbestos fibers into the home from an exterior setting (most commonly from the workplace). Secondary exposure in women usually involves asbestos fibers entering the home on the clothes of a spouse who works in a field that is notorious for asbestos exposure.

For example, the majority of men who worked in the shipbuilding industry prior to the 1990s were heavily exposed to asbestos and routinely brought asbestos fibers home on their clothing. Due to the jagged structure of asbestos fibers, the tiny particles easily attach to clothing, shoes, skin, and hair. Simply dusting off shoes would release asbestos fibers into the home, and women were especially exposed if they took care of their spouse's contaminated laundry.

World War II Exposure

Though most women have been exposed to asbestos in a secondary manner, countless women have experienced occupational exposure to asbestos. Before World War II, occupational exposure among women was practically unheard of, but as thousands of men left their jobs to fight in the war, thousands of women took their place in the workforce.

Leaving the home to build planes, tanks, and ships, assemble ammunition, and fill positions in numerous factories and power plants across the nation, women were suddenly thrown into occupational settings were asbestos exposure was likely to occur. And just as the men who filled these positions before them, women were not provided safety gear to protect them from exposure to asbestos and other toxic chemicals. Despite the pre-established dangers of asbestos, both women and men were exposed to this hazardous mineral throughout the World War II era (now historically considered one of the highest production eras for asbestos products).

Workplace Exposure

Given that asbestos was once integrated into thousands of domestic and industrial products, a number of industries and workplaces have been associated with asbestos exposure. One workplace where exposure to asbestos commonly occurred was laundry facilities, which predominately employed women. Since asbestos is an efficient insulator, it was regularly used in commercial dryers and other appliances that involved the use of heat. Other workplaces that regularly exposed women to asbestos have included power plants, steel plants, and factories that manufactured asbestos-containing makeup.

Additionally, an increased trend of asbestos exposure among minority and low-income women has been observed throughout the last century. This increase in exposure is primarily due to the nature of jobs available to these two demographic groups. Both minority and low-income women, as opposed to middle-class white women, tend to fill positions in factories and other workplaces where asbestos exposure is commonplace.

Sources:

1. Smith, D. Women and Mesothelioma. (2002). Chest: 1885-1886. http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/122/6/1885.
2. Castleman, Barry. (2005). Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects. New York: Aspen Publishers.

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