Household Exposure
Tragically, the family members of workers who worked with asbestos may also be at a heightened risk of mesothelioma. It has been recognized for decades that workers could bring home significant amounts of asbestos on their bodies, hair and clothing.
Because asbestos fibers are so tiny, they can easily become lodged in a worker’s body and work clothes. Without realizing it, many workers came home every day covered in toxic asbestos dust. These workers’ spouses and children were often exposed to significant amounts of asbestos from this contaminated clothing.
As a result of this household or take-home exposure, these workers’ families are also at risk of mesothelioma. There are numerous examples of family members contracting malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases simply by breathing the asbestos brought home on a household member’s clothes. Wives could be exposed by shaking out the contaminated clothes to do the laundry each week. Children could be exposed by playing with their father before he had a chance to change clothes.
In a typical scenario, a shipyard worker would come home after working with asbestos on navy vessels. His clothes, hair, and body would be contaminated with millions of asbestos fibers. His children would run to the door and greet their dad with a big hug thereby exposing them to asbestos fibers. The worker’s wife in doing the family’s laundry would shake out the worker’s clothes and turn out his pants pockets and cuffs before putting his work clothes in the washing machine. She would then be exposed to significant levels of asbestos.
Most people do not realize the significance of a household exposure. Frequently, a mesothelioma patient will report to her physician that she had never been exposed to asbestos. In fact, in many of these cases, a household member such as a father or husband had worked with asbestos in the past. Because asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma have a latency period of 10 to 40 years, the exposure may involve an ex-husband or a prior occupation from long ago. This household exposure is often overlooked.
However, studies have found that the amount of asbestos fibers released through a household exposure can be as high as many occupational exposures. Numerous cases of mesothelioma have resulted from this type of exposure alone, particularly in women. Household exposure to asbestos has been reported to cause mesothelioma in wives, children, and even the family pet.
Legal Remedies for Household Exposure
Today, there are federal regulations to ensure that asbestos and other hazardous materials are not brought home in this way. Employers are required to warn their workers about the hazards of asbestos on clothing. Some employers may be required to provide special areas where workers can shower and change their clothes before they leave work. In addition, people who work with asbestos and other hazardous materials may also be instructed to store their street clothes in a separate area of the workplace, or wash their work clothes at home separately from other clothes.
In the past, however, most workers had no idea that they could be putting their families at risk by carrying asbestos home on their work clothes. As a result, mesothelioma has become increasingly common among the wives and children of men who had a high occupational exposure to asbestos. Household exposure to asbestos has put thousands of spouses and children of asbestos workers at risk of serious diseases.
Courts in the United States recognize household exposure claims against the manufacturers of asbestos products. On the other hand, there are a number of jurisdictions that do not recognize a claim for a household exposure brought against a premise owner. For this reason, it is important to properly select the jurisdiction in which a household exposure claim should be filed. The experienced mesothelioma attorneys at Galiher DeRobertis Ono can help you with this important legal decision.
