Secondary Asbestos Exposure Risks for Spouses and Children

When people think about asbestos exposure, they often picture workers in construction, manufacturing, shipyards, mining, and other industrial jobs. But workers aren’t the only people at risk of developing mesothelioma later in life.

Asbestos fibers from the job can be carried home through the worker’s clothing, hair, tools, or vehicle.

This puts spouses, children, and other family members at risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases even though they never actually worked with asbestos themselves.

This is often called secondary asbestos exposure, secondhand asbestos exposure, or take-home asbestos exposure.

What Exactly is Secondary Asbestos Exposure?

Asbestos is a mineral that various industries have used for a range of purposes for centuries. People come in direct contact with it while on the job at various professions.

Secondary asbestos exposure happens when fibers are carried away from a workplace and brought into another environment, such as the worker’s home or vehicle.

Since asbestos fibers are microscopic, they can cling to work clothes, shoes, skin, hair, and other surfaces without being obvious. So family members, who will often embrace them or assist with laundry and other tasks, can also end up breathing in asbestos fibers as a result.

Regardless of how someone winds up exposed to asbestos, the more asbestos they inhale, the greater their risk of developing conditions in the future.

Women who have never worked with asbestos or experienced direct occupational exposure can still develop asbestos-related cancers such as mesothelioma through secondary exposure, particularly if their spouse regularly worked with asbestos.

How Workers Brought Asbestos Home

Employees in many industries could come home with asbestos dust on their bodies after working around asbestos-containing materials. This was particularly dangerous decades ago, before stronger workplace safety rules and decontamination procedures were widely implemented.

Common sources of take-home asbestos exposure include:

• Dust on work clothes or uniforms
• Asbestos fibers on shoes or boots
• Fibers carried on a worker’s hair or skin
• Contaminated tools, lunchboxes, or vehicles
• Laundry handled by a spouse or another family member

Family members were often exposed during ordinary household routines and activities.

Why Spouses and Children Are at Higher Risks

Spouses and children usually had no warning that asbestos was brought into the home. They weren’t wearing masks or protective clothing, and they never received any safety procedures on how to reduce exposure when dealing with toxic materials.

This made household exposure arguably more dangerous.

If a child hugged their parent after work or rode in a contaminated car, they could be exposed. Or if a spouse washed dirty work clothes, they could easily inhale asbestos fibers over time.

Years later, that exposure could be connected to mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease.

Can Family Members File an Asbestos Claim?

Those exposed to take-home asbestos may still have legal rights. The Kentucky Supreme Court has held that manufacturers and property owners owe a duty to family members of workers exposed to asbestos to prevent foreseeable harm. As a result, they may be held liable when asbestos carried home on a worker’s clothing or belongings causes a family member to develop mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease.

So, if your mesothelioma or other asbestos-related disease can be linked to a place where you worked or where a parent or spouse was exposed to asbestos, you may be entitled to compensation.

There are funds available to help compensate people diagnosed with mesothelioma, including for the costs of treatment. Those harmed by asbestos exposure may also be able to hold manufacturers, employers, or other responsible parties accountable for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers.

After all, a worker’s exposure to asbestos and inadequate safety practices can result in family members being unnecessarily exposed to asbestos brought home from the workplace. While these cases can be more complex than other asbestos-related claims, family members who develop mesothelioma from take-home asbestos exposure may still be entitled to seek compensation.

Call Us Today for a Free Consultation

For Kentucky families facing mesothelioma or an asbestos-related illness, Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, is a local advocate you can turn to. To schedule a free initial consultation, call our Louisville office toll-free at 855-385-9532, locally at 502-589-5600, or complete our contact form.