It has long been known that working directly with asbestos is a great danger to one's health, and this type of primary asbestos exposure is now heavily regulated as a result. However, it is only recently that public health officials have realized that secondhand asbestos exposure also poses a great risk.

Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, and Lung Cancer

Cases of serious secondhand (or secondary) exposure to asbestos have been documented all over the world. The incidence of mesothelioma (a cancer whose sole known cause is asbestos exposure), asbestosis, and lung cancer due to secondhand asbestos exposure is steadily increasing. The onset of these diseases is often decades after the asbestos exposure, and the cases arising now are often due to asbestos exposure from many years ago.

Secondhand asbestos exposure generally occurs in one of two ways: living near a source of asbestos, and living with a person who was working with asbestos products.

Secondary Asbestos Exposure from a Nearby Source

Thousands of Americans have spent years living in towns located near asbestos mines or companies that manufactured products containing asbestos. The levels of asbestos in the air, soil, and water of such a community can be extremely hazardous.

A notorious example is Libby, Montana—town of about 12,000 people where a vermiculite mine was located. The mineral vermiculite had high levels of asbestos. Hundreds of Libby residents have developed asbestos-caused diseases, and more than 200 residents have died of diseases caused by their exposure to the hazardous mineral

Shipyards, steel mills, rail yards, power plants, and refineries are also possible community sources of asbestos. The high volume of asbestos in many facilities reached beyond the boundaries of the facility ─ and the asbestos contaminated a community's water, air, and even the soil.

Secondary Asbestos Exposure at Home

The wives and children of the many men who worked with asbestos in the 1940s and 1950s were especially vulnerable to secondhand asbestos exposure, as asbestos fibers were regularly brought home in the work clothes, shoes, and hair of the workers. The World War II years, with thousands of men working in shipyards to build and repair ships for the Navy, were peak years of both primary and secondary asbestos exposure.

Repeatedly laundering work clothes that were laden with asbestos dust is a documented source of secondhand asbestos exposure, but even hugging an asbestos worker could have exposed children and spouses to a dangerous level of asbestos.

If you feel that your illness is due to secondhand asbestos exposure, or if you have mesothelioma or another asbestos-caused disease, learn more about your options and rights by contacting us today.