When you think about asbestos exposure, you may imagine workers who are coming directly into contact with the fibers. It’s not just them who are at risk, though. Others, like their family members and children, may also have been exposed to asbestos and the fibers that can cause mesothelioma.
Asbestos can be carried on the clothing if someone works around it. For example, a contractor who is removing flooring from an older home may be exposed to asbestos fibers and dust as those tiles are broken. Unfortunately, all of those fibers may not brush off or be left in that environment. It’s possible that the fibers could travel with a person and then be transferred to others.
Asbestos exposure could lead to disease among family members
What’s important to understand is that even small exposures over time could lead to disease later. Worker take-home asbestos, also called para-occupational exposure, is well-documented and among the many pathways that lead to asbestos exposure and related illnesses like asbestosis or mesothelioma.
If you think you’ve been exposed to asbestos, know the steps to take next
For those who may be exposed to asbestos now, it’s clear that wearing protective clothing and changing into items that have not been exposed before returning home may help minimize the risk of exposure within the home. Taking a shower to wash the hair and rinse asbestos fibers off the skin can also help prevent asbestos from spreading and affecting others.
If you have an asbestos-related illness, your parent’s or spouse’s workplace could be to blame
If you do develop an asbestos-related condition like mesothelioma or asbestosis, it’s possible that you weren’t exposed first-hand. In that case, it may be possible to pursue a claim if you can show how you were exposed. For example, if your mother or father develops mesothelioma and you develop it after that, then there may be a link between their work or exposure and your own.
Mesothelioma is a serious illness, as are others that can arise due to asbestos exposure. If you’re afflicted with one, you deserve the opportunity to fight for fair compensation.