Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure

The most common way second-hand asbestos exposure occurred is through contact with individuals who worked with asbestos at their job.  They brought home asbestos on their clothes, skin, shoes, or hair.  In many cases, men who worked in shipyards, railroads, automotive brake manufacturing, or the construction industry brought asbestos home.

Wives and children were generally the most at risk for second-hand asbestos exposure because they handled dusty work clothes.  Wives would often inhale asbestos fibers when brushing the dust off or shaking clothes before washing them.

Other second-hand asbestos exposure occurred in communities where companies engaged in asbestos mining or the manufacture of products containing asbestos.  Libby, Montana is a prime example of a community exposed to asbestos through vermiculite mining, which released high levels of asbestos into the air.  Much higher incidences of asbestos-related diseases—such as asbestosis and mesothelioma—have been reported in Libby than other U.S. cities.

The extent of second-hand asbestos exposure

The insurance industry was aware of the liability that non-occupational exposure to asbestos presented.  A 1975 insurance company memo noted that an estimated 40 percent of housewives and 50 percent of male asbestos workers had asbestos fibers in their lungs at death.  In 1974, an Exxon memo stated that it was failing to protect employees and families by not laundering and handling work clothes for workers exposed to asbestos.