Secondary Exposure

Most legal and medical cases linked to asbestos exposure are on-the-job exposure. Whereby a worker is exposed to asbestos due to the form of employment he/she undertakes daily. Men were generally at higher risk of asbestos-related diseases as mostly men worked in jobs where there was asbestos exposure. Because of their places of work, men daily inhaled the toxic asbestos fibers.

It must be noted though that, these men took the fibers home when they left work. This is mainly because the fibers are tiny and sharp and look just like dust. Thus asbestos fibers would be in the form of dust particles on their work garments and in/on their hair. The men’s family members were exposed to the asbestos fibers by way of secondary exposure, commonly called take home exposure.

Take home

Secondary exposure was easily possible, as most factories that manufactured asbestos or asbestos related products did not have bathing facilities for workers to shower after work. Upon arrival home from work, men exposed their wives and children to asbestos fibers.

Wives were highly at risk as they were tasked with the laundry of work clothes. In small laundry rooms they shook overalls of dusty asbestos particles and inhaled the tiny fibers. After years of doing this exact same task almost daily the women suffered from respiratory conditions of coughing and shortness of breath, until being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Children who showed their affection for their fathers by hugging them, sitting on their laps and snuggling up to their fathers, before getting cleaned up had secondary exposure. There are a number of documented cases of younger women and men who contracted pleural mesothelioma.

Vinson Law deals with secondary exposure cases to assist with medical bills or other expenses related to the disease, including loss of income.