Secondhand smoking is something with which we are all familiar, but what about secondhand asbestos exposure? While it may not be something you’re immediately aware of, that doesn’t make it any less critical. In fact, awareness is half the battle. Read on to find out what you need to know about secondhand asbestos exposure. 

Primary and secondary asbestos exposure

You can break asbestos exposure down into two categories – primary and secondary. Primary asbestos exposure is when you work directly with asbestos. Primary exposure to asbestos was more common in the 20th century, especially among men who worked with asbestos products.

Secondary exposure, however, is more common among women and children. After working a full day with asbestos products, dads and husbands would return home with asbestos fibres on their shoes, clothing, and tools.

Dad would hug the kids while the wife would wash his clothing. It wouldn’t be until decades later that the effects of secondary exposure would show themselves in the form of mesothelioma and other cancers.

Secondhand asbestos exposure in New Zealand

Asbestos exposure is a global problem, and New Zealand is not exempt. There have been cases, even in recent years, of people fighting aggressive cancers related to secondhand asbestos exposure.

Deanna Trevarthen, for example, died in 2016 at age 45 from mesothelioma. She was one of the youngest Kiwis to die from this aggressive cancer, which is directly related to asbestos.

Deanna was exposed to it when she used to hug her father after work. She also used to help him clean up piles of particleboard while he worked.

Common causes of secondhand asbestos exposure

Secondhand asbestos exposure is different from environmental exposure or even community contamination. Some of the most common causes of secondary exposure are clothing, furniture, hugs, and laundry. As sad as it seems, hugging your dad, who worked with asbestos, could end up being a death sentence in the 20th century.

Asbestos fibres could cling onto skin, clothing, and hair, which meant all family members could be indirectly exposed to the carcinogen.

Even furniture wasn’t exempt from becoming an asbestos exposure risk. If someone who had been working with asbestos and hadn’t changed their clothing sat on it, then the fibres could end up embedded in the fabric.

Family members who attempted to wash contaminated clothing could also be putting themselves and others at risk. You can’t easily wash the fibres from clothing, and they can end up clinging onto anything else that had been in the washing machine at the time, too.

What do the studies say about secondhand asbestos exposure?

There have been plenty of studies carried out about the effects of secondhand smoke exposure, but what about secondhand asbestos exposure? Some startling discoveries have been made.

For example, New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center researchers carried out a study of workers from the Union Asbestos and Rubber Company Factory. They focused on 679 family members of 1,664 workers at the Paterson, New Jersey company.

Out of those family members, they discovered five cases of mesothelioma. Even 20 years after the factory had closed down, asbestos fibres were discovered in some of those workers’ homes.

In 1997, another study was carried out regarding mesothelioma in women. More than half were exposed to asbestos through someone else, and only 19 percent had worked with it themselves.

Then, out of 1,063 mesothelioma cases in a study in the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 35 were caused by secondhand exposure. Of those 35, 33 of them were women.

What conditions does asbestos exposure cause?

Regardless of whether you have been exposed to asbestos by primary or secondary means, the related illnesses can be the same.

Mesothelioma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, laryngeal cancer, asbestosis, pleural plaques, COPD, atelectasis, pleural thickening, and pleural effusion are all asbestos-related malignant and non-malignant conditions.

How can one avoid asbestos exposure?

Some of the most considerable exposure risks in New Zealand today are from building materials. Homes built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos. While asbestos can be safe when undisturbed, it becomes hazardous when it’s damaged or disturbed.

Whether you’re carrying out renovations, or you notice asbestos is no longer in excellent condition, act immediately. You can avoid asbestos exposure by getting in touch with asbestos removal specialists. From creating management plans and surveys, to sampling and removing it, they do it all. Never attempt to undertake asbestos removal yourself.