As a child, you probably got excited when your dad came home from work. Perhaps you ran to greet him at the door, and he scooped you up in his arms and gave you a big hug. Yet, that show of affection may be the reason you now suffer from mesothelioma.
Secondary asbestos exposure receives less attention than that where people were directly exposed to asbestos at work. Yet, it is a real and tragic problem. Thousands of hard-working people who left their homes each day to provide for their families may have unwittingly harmed the ones they loved when they returned. Mesothelioma significantly shortens life, and there is no cure.
Working out where secondary asbestos exposure occurred can be challenging
If you suffer from mesothelioma and have never worked directly with asbestos yourself, you need to think carefully about your whole life history, including your childhood. Here are some ways you may have picked up secondary asbestos exposure:
- Physical contact with someone wearing asbestos-related clothes: Hugs from your parent or spouse could cause this.
- Handling contaminated clothing: Perhaps you did the laundry for someone who worked with asbestos. If fibers of it caught on their work clothes they may have got into your lungs.
- Sharing a car: Did you give a ride to someone or get a ride from someone who worked with asbestos? Every time you shared a vehicle, you may have been exposed to asbestos fibers caught in their hair and on their clothing.
You do not have forever to live if you have mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease. The sooner you start tracking down where the exposure occurred, the sooner you can file for compensation to improve the remaining years of your life.