Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Many people know the dangers of direct asbestos exposure, but there is another often overlooked form—secondary exposure. Such exposure occurs when someone does not have direct contact with asbestos but lives with a person who does. Typically, it happens when a worker exposed to the material on the job brings it home on their hair, skin, clothing, or equipment, exposing their family. Secondary exposure is also known take-home exposure.

Written by:

Vanessa Firnhaber Oslund, Partner, Bergman Oslund Udo Little Last Updated: October 9, 2024

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Secondary exposure may cause individuals to develop illnesses such as mesothelioma or lung cancer without ever working in an asbestos-related industry.

If you or a loved one suffered an asbestos-related illness resulting from secondary exposure, you may be entitled to compensation. At Bergman Oslund Udo Little, we’ve helped spouses, children, and others exposed to asbestos from secondary sources receive the justice and financial support they deserve. Let us help you explore your options with a free consultation.

Compensation Options for Victims of Take-Home Asbestos Exposure

If you have developed an asbestos-related disease from secondary exposure, you may be eligible to pursue asbestos compensation from those responsible for your exposure, such as manufacturers, suppliers, mining companies, and employers who failed to protect workers.

Such compensation can help you and your family cover the costs of medical treatment, lost wages, and other expenses associated with your or your loved one’s illness. It may also compensate you for the intangible effects of the illness in your life, such as pain and suffering.

Most secondary asbestos-exposure victims seek this compensation through one or more of the following legal actions:

Asbestos trust fund claims: Many companies have received bankruptcy protection over their asbestos liability. The courts required them to set up trust funds to compensate victims in lieu of going through the court system. Getting compensation from these trusts may be faster and more straightforward than filing a lawsuit.
Mesothelioma lawsuits: If the asbestos company that caused your exposure has not filed for bankruptcy and set up a trust fund, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the company. This option is also available if the other party contributed to your asbestos exposure.
Wrongful death lawsuits: If your loved one has died from an asbestos-related illness due to secondary exposure, you may have the right to seek compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit.

What If I Don’t Know the Source of My Secondhand Exposure?

Determining the source of secondary asbestos exposure can be challenging. Victims of direct asbestos exposure often have employment records or other documentation that clearly shows how, when, and where they were exposed, such as at naval shipyards, power plants, and paper mills. While tracing the source of secondary exposure can be more difficult, our attorneys are prepared to dig deep.

We have extensive resources to trace your exposure back to its source. We have an extensive proprietary database of job sites throughout the Pacific Northwest known to be sources of asbestos exposure. We also have access to decades’ worth of records and testimony from workers at common asbestos sites across the Pacific Northwest.

Millions Recovered for Second Hand Asbestos Exposure Victims

In one case, our attorneys used these resources—including local records, phone books, and family albums—to determine the sources of a victim’s secondary asbestos exposure that occurred nearly 80 years ago. We determined that the victim’s father worked odd jobs that used asbestos materials, which allowed us to recover a $10 million settlement for our client’s losses.

What Is Secondary Asbestos Exposure?

Secondary asbestos exposure occurs when someone comes into contact with asbestos fibers through another person or object that has been directly exposed to asbestos. It is also commonly referred to as secondhand exposure, take-home exposure, or bystander exposure.

Instead of being exposed through work or at a contaminated job site, secondary exposure victims are typically exposed by living with someone who works around asbestos or by coming into contact with contaminated clothes or equipment.

Significant sources of secondary exposure in Washington and Oregon include the naval shipyards in Bremerton, Seattle, Portland, and Tacoma, along with pulp and paper mills, power plants, refineries, smelters, and other industrial sites where asbestos was common. Union trades workers, veterans, brake mechanics, and dry wall workers also often worked in settings where asbestos could be brought home on contaminated work clothing.

How Does Secondhand Asbestos Exposure Happen?

Asbestos is known for its durability and heat resistance and was widely used in various industries throughout most of the 1900s. Thus, millions of blue-collar workers were directly exposed to asbestos while performing their job duties in the 20th century. Daily, these workers returned home to their families covered in asbestos fibers. When their children interacted with them after work or their spouses handled their clothing, these fibers became airborne. Anyone living in the home could then breathe it in.

This family setting is generally the most common form of secondary asbestos exposure. Other ways secondary asbestos exposure can occur include:

Working with people who handle asbestos
Providing services to people exposed to asbestos, such as laundromat workers who wash asbestos-contaminated clothing
Visiting friends or family members who live or work in asbestos-contaminated environments and having contact with their furniture

What Are the Risks of Secondary Asbestos Exposure?

Asbestos can cause severe or life-threatening diseases years or decades after the initial exposure. Asbestos fibers can remain in the body for a long time, causing damage to the lungs and other organs. Most asbestos-related diseases have long latency periods, taking decades for symptoms to surface.

Secondary asbestos exposure carries similar risks as primary exposure, including the following:

Mesothelioma
Asbestos lung cancer
Laryngeal cancer
Ovarian cancer
Asbestosis

Pleural plaques
Pleural thickening
Pleural effusions
Stomach cancer
Colorectal cancer

Our Secondary Asbestos Exposure Lawyers Can Help

Asbestos-related diseases can wreak havoc on individuals and their families. Secondary asbestos-exposure victims have the right to seek compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial consequences of their illness.

At Bergman Oslund Udo Little, our team of experienced secondary asbestos exposure lawyers fights for the rights and interests of those sickened by secondary exposure. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and believe secondary exposure may be the cause, we can help.

When you turn to our asbestos and mesothelioma attorneys, we will guide you through your legal options and work tirelessly to secure the compensation you deserve.

Contact us today for a free consultation and speak with an experienced asbestos attorney about your case. You can reach our Seattle office at 206-957-9510 and our Portland office at 503-447-6230.