Unexpected Sources of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos exposure is thought of as a working man’s problem, and it is true that millions of workers suffered heavy exposure to the toxic substance in the nation’s plants, shipyards, mines and construction areas. But there are other, unexpected sources of asbestos exposure that have taken a toll on American families.
Asbestos Exposure in the Home
For most of the 20th century, asbestos was extensively used in construction materials and household products. In fact, asbestos continues to be used in some of those same products today. Not long ago, the country was shocked to find significant amounts of asbestos in a popular children’s toy, raising alarms about the safety of children’s products across the board.
Additionally, homes were sometimes contaminated when employees brought home asbestos-contaminated clothing from the workplace especially before OSHA started regulating asbestos in the workplace during the 1970s. Children have sometimes developed mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos while sitting in their fathers’ laps; wives have developed mesothelioma after years of washing their husbands’ asbestos-covered work clothes.
It is very painful to watch a family member deal with the ravages of this disease, knowing that it could have been prevented; and it can be extraordinarily difficult for a husband or father to realize that he unwittingly exposed his loved one to the dangerous fiber. However guilty they may feel, however, they had no way at the time of knowing of the hazards, and they are not at fault.
But the asbestos industry knew. Since the 1930s the asbestos industry has known that the risk of asbestos-related diseases among workers’ family members could be curtailed by a simple industrial hygiene measure: the use of onsite showers and laundry services. In 1943, the Public Health Service issued an industrial hygiene manual stressing that employers should provide adequate shower facilities for workers and launder work clothing on site. If the asbestos industry had complied with these standards, it could have protected a whole generation of victims from being exposed to asbestos from its facilities.
Changes in the population of mesothelioma patients over the last twenty years reflect the influence of these unexpected sources of exposure. In 1986, the median age of mesothelioma patients was nearly 70, and approximately 80 percent of mesothelioma patients were men. These patients were, for the most part, men who worked with or around asbestos early in their careers. Today, according to a recent report by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Association (ADAO), the median age at diagnosis of mesothelioma patients who contact the organization has dropped to 51, with women representing close to 50 percent of new cases. Some of these new patients are the children of those who worked around asbestos and unwittingly brought it home to their families. While ADAO’s report does not necessarily reflect the overall age and gender of recent mesothelioma victims in the U.S., it nevertheless illustrates that more and more family members exposed decades ago through a loved one’s clothing are developing the disease.
Finally, some people believe that a main source of ongoing non-occupational exposure is the release of fibers from existing asbestos-containing surface materials that may be found in schools, residences and public buildings. When asbestos-containing products are in place for a long time, they can become damaged, causing the asbestos to become friable.
Non-traditional Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Sometimes people were exposed to asbestos through even though they never saw it or thought about it. Teachers, nurses, secretaries and salesmen, for example, have developed mesothelioma because they worked in a facility where asbestos products were installed or removed during construction or remodeling. A secretary or salesman may have visited a plant area where asbestos was in use.
These people, who would never have considered themselves asbestos workers, were also at risk for developing mesothelioma because, as scientists have warned, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. And the students, patients or visitors to these public spaces may also have been exposed to asbestos.
Asbestos Exposure during Natural Disasters
Asbestos can also compound the damages and the health risk of a natural disaster. Fires, floods, tornados and earthquakes tear apart structures and can release any asbestos inside. Rescue workers, like firefighters or other first responders, can be exposed to the fibers as they do their work.
As fire exposes asbestos-containing materials in a building, the strong drafts can pick up asbestos fibers and shoot them into the air, where they can travel and remain suspended for days. The presence of asbestos and other hazardous materials in fire debris can complicate the clean up significantly. Asbestos-containing materials require very careful handling and disposal to avoid dangerous exposures, and many residents and cleanup volunteers don’t have the knowledge or equipment to handle the problem safely.
Tornados and hurricanes tear buildings apart, releasing asbestos, commonly used in roofing and other construction materials, into the air. After a large disaster like Hurricane Katrina, the shear scope of asbestos-containing debris can overwhelm cleanup efforts and available disposal sites. See related story. And the extent of the asbestos risk may be not known or fully disclosed at the time. Some critics argue that the EPA misled the public about the risk of exposure to asbestos and other toxins after the 9/11 bombing. See related story.