次要石棉暴露

How Does Secondary Exposure Differ From Environmental Asbestos Exposure?

Secondary exposure may be confused with environmental asbestos exposure. However, environmental exposure involves direct exposure to asbestos in the natural world. Secondary exposure occurs when someone experiences primary exposure and brings asbestos dust to a second location. Individuals in that second location may then experience secondary exposure.

02. At-Risk Populations

谁是风险of Secondary Exposure?

石棉workers are individuals whose job exposes them to asbestos or含石棉的材料。Persons who live with asbestos workers are at risk of secondary exposure.

石棉的使用在1970年代之前达到顶峰，然后随着监管机构制定法律限制其使用的法律。

Even at the height of asbestos usage, men were at the greatest risk of exposure. During this period, men were more likely to hold jobs with a high risk of direct asbestos exposure. At the same time, the family and household members of these men were at risk of secondary asbestos exposure.

如今，某些行业的工人（例如建筑业）继续冒着石棉风险风险。结果，他们的亲人也继续冒着次要接触的风险。

Data from published medical studies aligns with this information. One publication reviewed more than 30 case reports of domestic asbestos exposure. Wives and family members of asbestos workers were the most common subjects of these reports. The researchers found these asbestos worker family members had an elevated risk ofpleural mesothelioma与普通人相比。

Secondary Exposure Risks Persist Despite Declining Asbestos Usage

Usage of asbestos products has declined since the 1970s. That same decline has not yet appeared in asbestos-related conditions. Experts attribute this lag to thelatency period石棉疾病。例如，间皮瘤的潜伏期在大约万博专业版10到50年之间。这意味着在初始石棉暴露后出现症状可能需要10到50年。

Thus, people who experienced secondary exposure in the 1970s may only recently have begun showing signs of mesothelioma. Family members of asbestos workers should report their exposure and anymesothelioma symptomsto a physician as soon as they arise.

The United States has not yet fullybanned asbestos。As a result, workers in certain industries and their loved ones continue to risk exposure.

The Reality of Secondary Asbestos Exposure: Heather Von St. James

Mesothelioma survivor希瑟·冯·圣詹姆斯知道风险次级石棉暴露得太好了。希瑟的父亲与石棉合作，经常带回家工作外套。小时候，她经常在做家务时穿着父亲的外套。希瑟及其家人不为人知，那外套被石棉纤维覆盖。

Years later, Heather received a pleural mesothelioma diagnosis. At just 36 years old, she was given 15 months to live. After seeking the opinion of an experiencedmesothelioma doctor, Heather underwent aggressivetreatment。她现在没有癌症。希瑟（Heather）花了很多时间来倡导间皮瘤患者和石棉禁令。万博专业版

研究说，次生石棉暴露是女性间皮瘤最常见的原因万博专业版

Heather’s story of secondary asbestos exposure is not unique, especially among women. Research shows secondary exposure is the most common form of asbestos exposure in women.

One study investigated mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in 91 women. Of the women, 15% experienced only secondary exposure. Researchers found 29% of women in the study experienced both household and environmental asbestos exposure.

这意味着该研究中约有44％的女性经历了某种形式的继发石棉暴露。相比之下，只有7％的男性经历了次要接触。根据作者的说法，次要石棉暴露是女性间皮瘤的主要原因。万博专业版

在另一项研究中，研究人员评估了意大利的1,000多个间皮瘤病例。万博专业版次要石棉暴露造成了35例这些病例，其中33例发生在妇女中。所有35例案件均涉及由石棉工人家庭成员产生的家庭接触。这些石棉工人中有许多受雇于造船厂。

作者得出的结论是，继发暴露增加了女性胸膜间皮瘤的风险。万博专业版

03. Sources of Secondhand Exposure

Common Sources of Secondary Asbestos Exposure

石棉颗粒是易碎的，或者很容易崩溃，并且会变成空降。石棉纤维也具有磨料。这些特性使石棉纤维紧贴织物，头发和其他材料。

Many workers may not realize they have been exposed to asbestos. Such workers may then skip decontamination, as it seems unnecessary at the time. If they fail to decontaminate after asbestos exposure, they may unwittingly bring home asbestos fibers. Anything a worker encounters while still carrying asbestos fibers can become a source of secondary exposure.

汽车

If an asbestos worker carries asbestos dust into their vehicle, the fibers may get stuck in the car. Any fabrics, carpet or other woven material could retain asbestos fibers.

Furniture

Couches, chairs, beds and other furniture contain materials capable of retaining asbestos fibers. If an asbestos-carrying person or their contaminated clothes encounter furniture, asbestos dust may be left behind. This may transform the furniture into a source of secondary asbestos exposure.

Laundry

It may seem illogical at first, but washing asbestos-contaminated clothes can cause domestic exposure. Conventional washing machines are not capable of removing asbestos dust. Instead, they may spread the fibers to other items in the wash.

洗asbestos-contaminated工作服也公关esents a risk to the person doing the laundry. The fibers may become airborne through the course of washing. The washer may then inhale the fibers while doing the laundry.

Individuals exposed to asbestos should not try to wash their own contaminated clothing. Instead, they should follow their employer’s decontamination procedures. This may include having asbestos-contaminated clothes washed at a specialty facility.

洗衣是在石棉研究中报告的最常见的继发暴露来源之一。在一项研究中，洗过石棉衣服的人的肺石棉含量与造船厂工人。

Personal Contact

如果石棉工人将纤维带回家，则该工人可以作为次要接触的来源。普通的互动，例如背部的拥抱和轻拍，可能会将石棉纤维释放到空中。一旦空降，其他家庭成员可能会吸气或摄取纤维。因此，与配偶，儿子和女儿的正常相互作用可能导致石棉暴露。

04. Secondary Exposure Risks

次生石棉暴露的风险

石棉is a carcinogen, meaningit can cause cancer。In fact, asbestos can cause several cancers and related illnesses. Secondary exposure often occurs at lower concentrations than occupational exposure. However, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. As such, secondary exposure may increase the risk of mesothelioma and all asbestos illnesses.

Doctors and scientists have been studying the risks of secondary exposure for decades. For instance, a 1978 publication looked into mesothelioma deaths from secondary exposure in纽约。The mesothelioma patients were all women whose husbands or fathers worked in an asbestos industry. The study found these women had 10 times the risk of mesothelioma versus women who did not encounter secondary exposure.

石棉at Home: Risks for Direct and Secondary Exposure

Another study evaluated dust samples from asbestos factory workers’ homes. The study revealed asbestos fibers still present 20 – 25 years after the factory ceased operations. This means the threat of secondary asbestos exposure may persist much longer than one might expect. It also highlights the value in狗万10万提款 。

即使在从未被石棉工人居住的房屋中，石棉也可能存在。年龄较大homes built before 1980 may contain asbestos地板瓷砖或粘合剂等产品。

家庭居住者应由专业人士对石棉进行测试。怀疑的石棉材料不应受到干扰。如果存在石棉，则只有专业人员才能尝试去除或处置它。

05.次要暴露诉讼

诉讼和次要石棉暴露的补偿

患有相关疾病的石棉受害者可能有资格financial compensation。This includes patients who developed an asbestos-related disease following secondary exposure.

One option for compensation is filing a lawsuit.石棉责任案件may focus on a company or employer’s failure to warn of asbestos or other legal infractions. In order to succeed, these cases must usually trace the asbestos exposure to a definite source. This task may prove difficult for victims of secondary asbestos exposure.

However,一个有经验的间皮瘤律师万博专业版can help plaintiffs trace their exposure. Law firms specializing in asbestos and mesothelioma have experience investigating the source of exposure. They can also help potential plaintiffs navigate state laws. Liability laws regarding secondary exposure and asbestos lawsuits differ by state. For instance,亚利桑那州法律do not hold companies responsible for injuries related to secondhand exposure.

An experienced legal team can help secondary-exposure victims determine eligibility for lawsuits and other legal options. Asbestos lawyers will also determine the best jurisdiction or state to file a lawsuit. They can handle the entire filing process on the individual’s behalf.

2750万美元的中学石棉暴露判决

小约翰·潘扎（John Panza Jr.）在石棉工人家庭中长大。他的父亲从1963年到1993年在制动器制造商Eaton Airflex工作。当其他员工从事石棉产品时，约翰的父亲经常出席。

The dust from those products came home on his father’s clothing. This clothing then became a source of secondary asbestos exposure. John’s dad died of lung cancer in 1994. John was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2012.

约翰接受了多模式治疗。其中包括extrapleural pneumonectomy, a surgery that removes the cancerous lung. He also completed several rounds of化学疗法至少一轮radiation。

John and his wife filed a lawsuit against the responsible asbestos product manufacturer, National Friction Products. In 2013, an Ohio court awarded Panza and his wife $27.5 million in legal damages. The award included $12.5 million in damages for John and $15 million for his wife.

06.常见问题