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A 64-year-old widow living in Newcastle, UK, was left shocked after she was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year. She had never worked around asbestos, which is the underlying cause of mesothelioma. She could not imagine how she caught the cancer until she recalled that her husband used to bring home his dusty clothing to be laundered each week between jobsites. Unbeknownst to the family, the deadly asbestos came home as well.
Although asbestos is seldom used in building materials for homes today, it continues in use for industrial purposes. The following is a partial list of the products in use that contain asbestos.
Many of these items are commonplace and workers using them in industrial applications will regularly transfer the fibers to their homes without knowing the risks. This is because, although there are strict guidelines in place by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), many employers do not adhere to the regulations. Workers regularly handle, grind, cut, and sand surfaces containing asbestos without being advised of the risks. Even when they are given respirators or simple painter’s masks, the fibers become lodged in their clothing.
Once asbestos-laced clothing reaches the home, it is often scattered. When workers walk through the house and remove their dusty coveralls, some of the dust will scatter into the air. From there, it will circulate throughout the home. Some dust will become trapped in the sofa, some in the carpet, some elsewhere. This dust will continue to circulate until an individual inhales it.
Clothing taken directly to the laundry room and placed into a hamper is just as dangerous. There may be the children’s clothes or towels or something else which will become contaminated. There will certainly be a release of the asbestos fibers in the laundry room air at some point.
After decades fighting for the rights of mesothelioma victims, the Philadelphia asbestos lawyers at Brookman, Rosenberg, Brown & Sandler know that asbestos travels. Philadelphia and South Jersey have higher than average rates of mesothelioma in the nation. This may be attributed to the many factories and shipyards in the region and the age of some of these.
If you or someone you love is suffering from mesothelioma, reach out to us today. We will do our best to make sure the responsible parties are held accountable. Contact us online now for a free consultation or call 215-569-4000. We help clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.