Mesothelioma, an extremely rare form of cancer, affects approximately 3,000 in the US annually. Although rare, it is extremely aggressive. The sole cause of mesothelioma is through asbestos exposure. Asbestos, a naturally occurring silicate material is extremely harmful to breathe in and can cause diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Most mesothelioma cases are through direct exposure to asbestos; there are many occupations in which mesothelioma is associated. Some of these occupations include construction workers, carpenters, painters, welders and insulators. Industries that are common sources of asbestos exposure include, but are not limited to, steel mills, power plants, oil refineries and shipyards. Something not commonly known about mesothelioma is that people can get the disease through secondary exposure. Sons, daughters and spouses have gotten mesothelioma through inhaling asbestos that was on the clothes of their loved ones.
Mesothelioma has a long latency period, meaning that it can take decades for symptoms to develop and for someone to be diagnosed with the cancer. Therefore, someone could be exposed to asbestos secondhand and have no idea that they are at risk until many years later. Secondary exposure is the most common for women and children as their husbands or fathers normally would work in the industries previously mentioned and come home with asbestos fibers on their clothing.
Secondhand exposure is just as dangerous as primary exposure. For instance, one case of mesothelioma in a 76-year-old non-smoking woman was through secondary exposure. Her husband worked for 34 years as a machinist at a shipyard. Machinists are known to have been exposed to asbestos during work. The woman’s husband dismantled boilers and other equipment during his time at the shipyard and said that his work clothes were covered in dust when he came home after a day’s work. His wife would normally wash his clothes for him. When doing so, she exposed herself to asbestos and decades later was diagnosed with mesothelioma.
It is difficult to wash asbestos out of clothes, as doing so can expose the person washing the clothes to the asbestos fibers. Instead of putting clothes that contain asbestos in a regular washing machine, they must be put into a watertight container or bag. Another way secondary asbestos exposure can occur is through furniture. If someone working with asbestos sat down on a couch or another piece of furniture without changing their clothes, the asbestos fibers could then transfer to the furniture and could be inhaled by family members.
Additionally, hugging loved ones after they have come home from work could result in secondary asbestos exposure. In another instance, a woman was diagnosed with asbestos decades after hugging her father and wearing his jacket. “Many nights while growing up, she says, she greeted her father with a hug at the door when he returned from his job sanding drywall, a fine white dust powdering his jacket. She often put on that jacket before running outside to feed her pet rabbits” (Reuters.com). She later developed mesothelioma in her early 40s. Some people have even gotten mesothelioma just from sitting on their father or grandfather’s lap as a child.
The risks of mesothelioma are sneaky and sometimes unknown. It is important to know when you could have been exposed and to detect the cancer as early as possible. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, call 800-505-6000 or fill out the form on our Homepage for more information and legal help.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1009782/pdf/brjindmed00133-0066.pdf
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-asbestos-lawsuits-idUSBRE84A0J920120511
