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Occupational exposure to asbestos occurs during the performance of job duties and may place a worker at risk. Exposure is defined as a percutaneous Effected or performed through the skin, injury (e.g., needle stick or cut with a sharp object), contact of mucous membranes, breathing toxic or dangerous substances such as asbestos, or contact of skin (especially when the exposed skin is chapped, abraded, or afflicted with dermatitis or the contact is prolonged or involving an extensive area) with blood or other body fluids to which universal precautions apply.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the EPA have determined that asbestos is a human carcinogen. It is known that breathing asbestos can increase the risk of cancer in people. There are two types of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos: lung cancer and mesothelioma.

The federal government has taken a number of steps to protect citizens from exposure to asbestos. First, on July 12, 1989, EPA established a ban on new uses of asbestos. Uses established before this date are still allowable. Second, EPA has established regulations that require school systems to inspect for asbestos and, if damaged asbestos is found, to eliminate or reduce the exposure, either by removing the asbestos or by covering it up so it cannot get into the air. In addition, EPA provides guidance and support for reducing asbestos exposure in other public buildings. Third, EPA regulates the release of asbestos from factories and during building demolition or renovation to prevent asbestos from getting into the environment. EPA also regulates the disposal of waste asbestos materials or products, requiring these to be placed only in approved locations. Fourth, EPA has proposed a limit of 7 million fibers per liter on the concentration of long fibers (length greater than or equal to 5 µm) that may be present in drinking water. Fifth, FDA regulates the use of asbestos in the preparation of drugs and restricts the use of asbestos in food-packaging materials. NIOSH has recommended that inhalation exposures not exceed 100,000 fibers with lengths greater than or equal to 5 µm per m3 of air (0.1 fibers/mL). OSHA has established an enforceable limit on the average 8-hour daily concentration of asbestos allowed in air in the workplace to be 100,000 fibers with lengths greater than or equal to 5 µm per m3 of air (0.1 fibers/mL).

To this day high risk jobs include:

Arts & Media;
Assemblers & Fabricators;
Cleaning & Pest Control ;
Construction;
Crop & Livestock Production;
Engineering, Sciences & Education;
Extractive;
Farmworkers;
Fishing & Hunting;
Food Processing;
Food Service;
Grounds Maintenance;
Health;
Installation, Maintenance & Repair;
Logging, Forest & Conservation;
Material Moving;
Metalworking & Plasticworking;
Miscellaneous Production;
Other Services;
Printing;
Textile, Apparel & Furnishings;
Utilities & Transportation;
Welding, Soldering & Brazing;
Woodworkers;

and many other occupations in which asbestos is still in use.

If you think you have been exposed, there are additional sources of information about asbestos are the 10 regional offices of the EPA. Most EPA regional offices have an asbestos coordinator who can assist you with finding the information you need.

The federal government develops regulations and recommendations to protect public health. Regulations can be enforced by law. Federal agencies that develop regulations for toxic substances include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recommendations provide valuable guidelines to protect public health but cannot be enforced by law. Federal organizations that develop recommendations for toxic substances include the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), all of which have websites, pamphlets and provide information on asbestos exposure and its risk for mesothelioma cancer.

There have been several incidences in which daughters and wives who have washed the clothing of a loved one who was exposed to asbestos have also in some cases been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Who’s Most at Risk

There has been little information out there to notify the public of what is known as secondary risk to asbestos exposure, and the potential dangers that exist for what is referred to as a “secondary” family member. What this means is that not only are the people who are exposed to asbestos are in danger of being diagnosed with mesothelioma years after the initial exposure, but our loved ones are most at risk from “take-home toxins,” which can be carried into the home on one’s clothing or person. The risk is especially great for the person who is in charge of washing the clothing which could have been laden with asbestos.

Examples of Take-Home Toxins

According to NIOSH, there are several examples of take-home toxins, other than asbestos, which may put our family at risk and that these toxins have been inadvertently taken home by workers.
Contaminants that caused health effects have among workers’ families include:
• beryllium
Nearly 40 reported cases of chronic beryllium disease were identified among workers’ families.
• asbestos
Asbestos reaching workers’ homes has occurred worldwide, resulting in all forms of asbestos disease among workers’ family members, including over 100 identified deaths from mesothelioma in the United States. Although asbestos is now used less and regulated more, there is still the chance for exposure among workers’ families, especially among construction workers.
• lead
Nearly 80 reported cases of workers’ family exposure to lead contamination were identified. More than half of the reports on workers’ children have occurred since 1990.
• mercury
In six reported cases, workers’ homes were contaminated with mercury. The occupations of the workers involved included working at a chlor-alkali plant, the manufacturing of thermometers, and extracting gold at home.
• arsenic
Arsenic in mine and smelter dust brought home on a worker’s clothing was considered a source of a child’s poisoning.
• cadmium
Cadmium in the homes of lead-smelter workers resulted in increased levels in the workers’ children.
• pesticides
Pesticide poisoning resulted in fatal and nonfatal cases in workers’ household members. Most reports occurred before 1980, but three more recent cases exist.
• caustic farm products
More than 40 farm children have been poisoned by caustic farm products.
• chlorinated hydrocarbons
Family members have been exposed when workers brought these substances home on their clothing.
• estrogenic substances
Boys and girls have been affected by hormone-like chemicals brought home on the clothing of farmers and drug-company workers.
• asthmagens and allergens
Family members have had allergic reactions to allergens from animals, mushroom farming, grain dust, and other materials.
• fibrous glass
Family members have developed irritated skin after their clothing was washed with an insulation worker’s work clothes.
• cyclothriethylenetriamine (RDX)
One child had epileptic seizures from this chemical brought home on a parent’s work clothes.
• infectious agents
Family members have caught diseases such as scabies and Q fever from the clothing and skin of workers from hospitals, laboratories, and agricultural facilities.

For asbestos, there are two points of exposure. One is through asbestos dust and asbestos fibers that can be carried in the air. The other point of exposure is by touching asbestos-laden clothing as you carry it from the hamper or in some cases, the floor, and place it into the washer to clean the clothing.

How to Protect Your Family from Take-Home Toxins

Unfortunately, it is hard to protect your family if you work in a corporation who knew about the dangers of asbestos at your job or work site, but didn’t let the workers know that they would be handling asbestos. In cases such as these, workers can expose their families without knowing the dangers ahead of time.

In other cases when you know that you have handled asbestos, there are some things that you can do (though the only true way to prevent asbestos exposure is to not touch or handle asbestos at all).

Although this list is not complete by any stretch of the imagination, here are a couple of tips that immediately come to my mind. Of course, you also need to review the articles and pamphlets referenced above.

1. “Decontaminate” before leaving work. If you work in a job that’s dusty or dirty, make sure you wash-up and possibly shower before coming home. Although this will not eliminate the unseen toxins which may still exist in the form of asbestos dust or asbestos fibers, it will at least decrease the amount of contaminate you take into your home.

2. “Contain” any potential toxins in your Work-clothes. Any potential toxins in dirty or dusty work-clothes should be contained by placing the work-clothes in a plastic bag or in a bin with a tight-fitting lid. Many employers require workers to change clothes before going home and provide containment bins for dirty clothes. If yours does not, use a heavy-weight plastic bag to prevent any dust from contaminating your car — and your home — and wipe down the outside of the bag with a wet cloth to remove any dust and/or toxins that might be clinging to the plastic.

3. Keep work-clothes isolated. Wash your work-clothes separately and make sure that the washer tub is clean and thoroughly rinsed out before starting another load in order to prevent any cross-contamination to other clothes.

4. Reduce dust generation when washing. When handling and washing work clothes, reduce the generation of dust as much as possible. Most take-home toxins enter the body through inhalation so do NOT shake out the clothes. Get them wet as soon as possible in order to prevent any dust – as well as any potential toxins – from becoming airborne. If you bring your work-clothes in a plastic bag, you might consider hosing down the bag in the front yard as you open it and then proceeding to hose down the clothes themselves. Again, your intent is to reduce bringing in any dust, fibers, and potential toxins into your home.

5. Wash your hands after handling dirty work-clothes. This one should be obvious.

6. Don’t bring work home.

Like most potential hazards, awareness is the best form of prevention. Knowing what can happen and being proactive to make sure it doesn’t is your best defense against “take-home toxins.” If you were exposed at work, and you were not told of the dangers of asbestos, you may want to contact an attorney to discuss whether you have a lawsuit. To find out more, contact the attorneys at Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. at 888-375-7600.

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Medical Editor: David A. Lenrow, M.D.
Supportive Concerns Editor: Deborah Robbins, Nurse Practitioner
Legal Editor: Christopher Placitella, Esquire.