What’s secondary asbestos exposure?

Secondary asbestos exposure is used to describe situations where people have been exposed to asbestos despite not working with it directly. Asbestos was used extensively in the building industry before the UK banned it’s use in 1999.

As a result, secondary asbestos exposure regularly occurred before this time. For example, when workers came home in clothing contaminated with asbestos fibres, which was then washed and handled by their loved ones. When the items were shaken off before washing, the clouds of dust and fibres were inevitably inhaled by the workers’ family members.

While many might not consider themselves to be at risk of asbestos-related diseases without having worked directly with asbestos, because asbestos-related diseases can develop from low levels of exposure to asbestos dust and fibres, secondary asbestos exposure can also lead to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Who is at risk of secondary asbestos exposure?

Traditionally, mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have affected men at a much higher rate than women. In the UK in 2016, there were 2,197 male deaths recorded compared with 398 female mesothelioma deaths. This is largely due to the nature of traditional job roles during the 1960s-1980s, when materials containing asbestos were especially commonplace. This was particularly the case in the construction, engineering, plumbing, joinery, and electrical industries which were dominated by male workers at the time.

However, in recent years there’s been a notable increase in the number of cases of mesothelioma in women. This has been attributed in large to women and children being exposed to asbestos in the home because of a husband or father bringing asbestos dust into the home after a day working in an environment with asbestos.

The sad reality is that anybody who lived in a home into which asbestos was brought on the work clothes of a family member was at risk of secondary exposure to asbestos.

How are people exposed to secondary asbestos?

Many employers simply didn’t do enough for their employees and failed to take steps to minimise the risk of asbestos exposure in the workplace. It’s potentially not surprising then that very few gave any thought to the subsequent risk of secondary asbestos exposure outside of the workplace.

Without adequate facilities for employees to shower or get changed before leaving work, the majority of those working with asbestos-containing materials went home in their work clothes, unknowingly contaminating their home with asbestos dust and fibres.

Whether it was from handling the worker’s clothing to shake it out and put it in the washing machine, or even through simple familial affection and embraces after a worker returned home, many partners and children unfortunately experienced secondary asbestos exposure daily.

While the risk of an asbestos-related disease developing increases in line with the frequency and intensity of a person’s exposure to asbestos, there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos and even exposure on a single occasion can lead to mesothelioma. Our experts regularly work with people who’ve unfortunately developed asbestos-related diseases due to secondary asbestos exposure, including those who initially aren’t aware of where they could’ve inhaled asbestos dust.

Can I make a claim for secondary asbestos exposure?

Developing an asbestos-related disease without knowingly having been exposed to asbestos dust can be both devastating and challenging. If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and are unsure where you were exposed to asbestos, or you believe that your diagnosis is the result of secondary asbestos exposure, our specialist asbestos team are here to help.

Our experts specialise in asbestos claims, and work every day with people who’ve suffered from the following diseases due to asbestos exposure:

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestosis
• Pleural thickening
• Asbestos related lung cancer
• Pleural plaques (claims are possible in Scotland and Northern Ireland only)

Being diagnosed with any of these diseases can be extremely distressing. If you’re looking to take legal action after your diagnosis, then our asbestos team are here for you.

Contact us for a free, confidential consultation today.

What help is available for someone who has been exposed to secondary asbestos?

Coming to terms with your diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease can be very difficult. The time after diagnosis can be filled with anxiety and fear and can be incredibly distressing for you and your family.

When you work with our experts, our asbestos lawyers will do everything possible to ensure you get the compensation you deserve to cover your treatment costs, ensure that your care needs are met, cover the cost of any specialist equipment needed to adapt your home, and to compensate you for your pain and suffering because of your condition.

As well as this, there are several other benefits of working with our specialist solicitors. As a leading asbestos team, our experts go above and beyond helping clients to achieve the justice and compensation they deserve, and many are active members of the asbestos support community. This allows our services to include the following:

• Charities and support organisations - Our specialists know that it's often difficult to know what to do after diagnosis of an asbestos related disease. We work closely with several helpful support groups and charitable organisations, who offer a range of advice and assistance to those who’ve been diagnosed.
• Benefits and one-off payments - A common and understandable worry that many of our clients have is how their diagnosis will affect them financially. As well as through making a legal claim for compensation, there are several benefits and one-off payments which are available for those suffering with an asbestos related condition from secondary asbestos exposure.
• Compensation - The main service that our expert lawyers provide is helping you to obtain significant financial compensation in a secondary asbestos claim. If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness wrongfully caused by someone else, then you can and should be compensated for your diagnosis and losses. Our asbestos solicitors have many years of experience dealing with claims for asbestos-related illnesses and are on hand to provide you with the best available legal representation.

Why choose Slater and Gordon?

Slater and Gordon has a team of solicitors who’ve specialised in asbestos related illness for many years, and completely understand the complexities which can be faced in these claims. We’ve a strong reputation when it comes to successfully identifying negligent parties in these cases, and finding insurers of companies who closed their doors many years ago.

Speak to one of our specialist asbestos solicitors for your secondary asbestos exposure compensation claim today on 0330 041 5869 or contact us online.