Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral substance. Businesses have used asbestos for decades as a flame retardant and a form of insulation. However, simply being natural does not necessarily make asbestos safe. It is also a known human carcinogen. There are now strict regulations in place to protect workers who may handle asbestos at work. Sadly, those regulations only came to be because of how many people became incredibly ill from asbestos exposure at work.
Asbestos is especially dangerous when people inhale it. Individuals exposed to asbestos may develop lung cancer or mesothelioma. Frequently, those diagnosed with mesothelioma worked with asbestos. Maybe they were shipbuilders or served in the Navy. Maybe they worked in home renovations or vehicle manufacturing. Plenty of people work in mines where they may encounter naturally-occurring asbestos.
There are many careers that may expose a professional to asbestos. Not everyone with mesothelioma handled asbestos directly. For some people, secondhand exposure caused by a family member could be the underlying source of their cancer.
Any asbestos exposure can be dangerous
People overestimate how much asbestos exposure is necessary for cancer to develop. People don’t have to handle asbestos directly for years to fall ill. All it takes is a low level of exposure in some cases.
Spouses and children of those who work with asbestos could have experienced secondhand exposure, especially years ago before proper safety protocols were in place. Employers did not always provide respirators, coveralls and decontamination showers for those working with asbestos. As a result, employees may have brought asbestos home on their skin or clothing and spread it inside their homes.
People who hugged them when they came back home may have inhaled asbestos. It may have fallen off of their coats and scalps while they cleaned up after work. Many workers unintentionally contaminated the homes where they lived.
Sometimes, second-hand exposure is enough to lead to mesothelioma decades later. People who did not work with asbestos but lived with someone who did may be at risk of this deadly type of cancer. Connecting a mesothelioma diagnosis to an asbestos-related job can help people pursue compensation. Those sickened by asbestos may be able to hold businesses accountable for exposing their workers and their families to asbestos.