Secondary Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma

Explaining How Secondary Exposure to Asbestos Occurs

Secondary exposure has a variety of names. These terms refer to asbestos exposure occurring outside of the work setting:

Secondary exposure and occupational asbestos exposure aren’t exclusive. Asbestos is a naturally forming mineral used in construction, insulation and electrical jobs. Secondhand vulnerability is linked to a family member or friend’s work with asbestos.

Have a Medical Question?

Have a Question?

Karen Ritter, RN BSN

Registered Nurse

Get your medical questions answered

• Learn about your treatment options
• Ask questions about your diagnosis
• Get doctor recommendations

Karen Ritter, RN BSN

Registered Nurse

Ask a Nurse

Examples of Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Secondary exposure usually takes place in homes, between family members and friends. Blue-collar workers during the 20th century carried asbestos home with them after work shifts. The presence of asbestos on their hair, clothes or work equipment exposed their wives, girlfriends or other significant others, and children.

From the early 20th century until the 1980s, few people knew asbestos was dangerous. Many didn’t even know what asbestos was, or that it was present in their workspaces.

Since asbestos fibers are minuscule in size, they’re undetectable without a microscope or trained eye. Workers had no awareness they were bringing sharp fibers into their home. 

A few regular examples of asbestos exposure at home include:

• Hugging a loved one
• Doing laundry
• Hand-washing clothes
• Sitting or laying on furniture
• Using household appliances or other home features

Hugging Your Loved One

Hugging is a loving, seemingly harmless act. Yet, it was likely the means of asbestos exposure at home.

A hug is the most direct way to transfer sharp asbestos particles from one person to another. Workers returned home from the day with their clothes covered in asbestos. Their wife, kids or parents hugged them without knowing the risk.

Doing Laundry and Hand-Washing Clothes

In prior decades, most American families followed conventional gender roles. Men worked blue-collar trade jobs like construction and electrical work. Women and female children handled a large portion of household chores, such as laundry and hand-washing clothes. Wives, mothers and children were in contact with work clothes covered in asbestos fibers.

Loose asbestos particles are weightless, which is why disturbance is dangerous. This can detach them from the clothing. The strands can float in the air, sometimes close to our mouths and noses. These fibers were swallowed or inhaled unknowingly by the family member handling the clothes.

Sharing a Vehicle

A simple act like sharing a vehicle can even transport asbestos fibers from one person to another. Friends and family members rode in cars and trucks together after one spent a work shift collecting asbestos dust on their clothes, hair and skin. They’d spend minutes or hours in a confined space within feet of one another.

Work colleagues also exposed each other to asbestos in a vehicle. They rode together for lunch breaks or in carpools to and from work.

Using Furniture, Appliances and Other Home Features

Almost all, if not all, American workers were unaware that they brought asbestos into their homes. They’d sit on couches, use appliances and touch countertops.

If any fibers passed from the worker to these surfaces or objects, then the entire family was exposed. Wives, parents and children sat on the same couches, used the same appliances and touched the same countertops minutes or hours later.

People Affected by Secondary Exposure to Asbestos

Around 75% of mesothelioma victims are male, largely due to the risk of on-the-job asbestos exposure. Most cases involve men who had specific jobs, ones requiring them to handle asbestos directly or work near it.

For secondary exposure, the gender disparity is the opposite. Secondhand exposure is heavily linked to mesothelioma cases involving women and young adults. According to one study cited in Translational Oncology, women comprise 87.5% of mesothelioma cases caused by non-occupational exposure.

According to a different study, published in the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health:

• 33 out of 35 mesothelioma cases from secondary exposure involved women
• Wives accounted for 22 of the 35 cases, followed by daughters (9), mothers (2) and sons (2)

Find out where you may have been exposed to asbestos

A nation wide list of sites where you or a loved one may have come in contact with asbestos.

Select State...AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Submit

How Often Is Secondary Exposure the Cause of Mesothelioma?

The most common cause of mesothelioma is occupational exposure to asbestos. This method accounts for between 80% and 90% of mesothelioma cases. Secondary exposure is the cause of around 15% of cases.

According to scientific sources, secondary exposure is more linked to peritoneal mesothelioma. Translational Oncology’s report links secondhand exposure to this form of the cancer:

• Approximately 52% of non-occupational exposure cases are peritoneal mesothelioma.
• The other 48% are pleural mesothelioma.
• Nearly 90% of cases from work exposure are pleural mesothelioma.

Pleural mesothelioma makes up 80% of all cases of this cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for most of the remaining 20%.

Fortunately for victims of secondary asbestos exposure, their survival length with mesothelioma is usually better. In a study cited in Translational Oncology:

• Non-occupational exposure cases had a median survival time of 53 months
• Work-related exposure cases had a median survival length of 19 months

Frequently Asked Questions About Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Who is most at risk of secondary asbestos exposure?

While anyone could be exposed to asbestos, women are most at risk of secondary exposure. According to one study, women account for approximately 88% of all mesothelioma cases stemming from non-occupational exposure. This rate is the opposite of occupational exposure cases, which mostly involve men.

How and where can secondary asbestos exposure occur?

Secondary asbestos exposure refers to any method that doesn’t occur in the workplace. These instances include hugging people who have asbestos on them, washing asbestos-contaminated clothing, sitting on asbestos-filled furniture, or using household appliances with asbestos in them. Secondary exposure can occur anywhere but usually happens in one’s home.

How often does secondary asbestos exposure cause mesothelioma?

Secondary exposure to asbestos accounts for a small portion of mesothelioma cases. Studies report it’s the cause of 10-15% of cases, whereas occupational exposure is the reason for the large majority.

Can I receive compensation for secondary asbestos exposure?

You can receive compensation for secondary asbestos exposure that leads to mesothelioma. You must determine how you were exposed to the mineral, which is often difficult to do alone. The help of a mesothelioma lawyer is crucial to learning how your secondary asbestos exposure occurred.

Sources & Author

• Changing Pattern in Malignant Mesothelioma Survival. Translational Oncology. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936523314001363. Accessed: 01/10/20.
• Gender differences in asbestos exposure and disease location in 327 patients with mesothelioma. European Respiratory Journal. Retrieved from: https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/50/suppl_61/PA4294. Accessed: 07/23/2020.
• Pleural mesothelioma in household members of asbestos-exposed workers in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. Retrieved from: http://ijomeh.eu/Pleural-mesothelioma-in-household-members-of-asbestos-exposed-workers-in-Friuli-Venezia-Giulia-Italy,62884,0,2.html. Accessed: 07/23/2020.

About the Writer, Devin Golden

Devin Golden is a content writer for Mesothelioma Guide. He produces mesothelioma-related content on various mediums, including the Mesothelioma Guide website and social media channels. Devin's objective is to translate complex information regarding mesothelioma into informative, easily absorbable content to help patients and their loved ones.