Secondary Asbestos Exposure in the Pacific Northwest: Risks, Sources, and What Families Need to Know
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What Is Secondary Asbestos Exposure?
How Secondary Asbestos Exposure Occurs Inside the Home
Who Is Most at Risk for Secondary Asbestos Exposure?
The High-Risk Industries Behind Secondary Asbestos Exposure in the Pacific Northwest
Geographic Areas in the Pacific Northwest Linked to Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Diseases Linked to Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Why Asbestos Exposure Diseases Are Often Diagnosed Decades Later
How to Seek Medical Evaluation for Secondary Asbestos Exposure in the Pacific Northwest
For decades, countless workers at shipyards, construction sites, paper mills, and other Pacific Northwest worksites have been heavily exposed to asbestos. However, workers were often not the only victims of asbestos exposure—their loved ones have frequently experienced secondary asbestos exposure.
On this page, the trusted legal team at Oslund Udo Little explains how secondary asbestos exposure occurred in the Pacific Northwest, the health risks associated with it, and more.
What Is Secondary Asbestos Exposure?
Secondary asbestos exposure, also known as para-occupational or take-home exposure, occurs when family members inhale asbestos fibers brought home on a worker’s clothes, hair, body, and equipment. Asbestos fibers are often “re-entrained” in the home in the laundry areas, carpets, and furniture and can lead to continuous contamination of the home.
There is no safe level of asbestos exposure, so even actions as simple as washing contaminated clothes, hugging a family member returning from work, or simply sharing a living space could lead to the development of mesothelioma decades later.
How Secondary Asbestos Exposure Occurs Inside the Home
When a worker has been exposed to asbestos at work, the fibers they bring into the home can endanger their loved ones. Here are some of the ways family members experienced secondary asbestos exposure:
How Secondary Asbestos Exposure Occurs Inside the Home
Asbestos fibers enter the air when disturbed, allowing those nearby to inhale them. When family members washed or shook out their loved one’s asbestos-laden work clothes, they were heavily exposed to one of the most highly concentrated secondary exposure events.
How Everyday Contact at Home Helped Spread Asbestos Fibers
Workers were unaware that they were bringing dangerous asbestos fibers into their homes, so they had no reason to change their behavior around their loved ones. A child greeting a working father at the door, sitting on his lap, or engaging in any other normal, healthy contact with family members could lead to dangerous exposure to asbestos.
How Asbestos Fibers Settled and Accumulated Inside the Home
As workers brought home more and more asbestos, fibers fell onto furniture, carpets, and other parts of the home. These fibers didn’t simply disappear—they lingered, waiting to be disturbed and sent into the air. Activities like vacuuming, dusting, or simply moving around the home could have kicked up these fibers, further exposing residents.
How Vehicles Can Contribute to Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Work vehicles, as well as those used to commute to and from job sites, may have accumulated asbestos fibers on their seats and floor mats. Those traveling in the affected vehicles, including family members, may have been exposed to those fibers or brought them into the home.
Who Is Most at Risk for Secondary Asbestos Exposure?
Close family members of workers regularly exposed to asbestos on the job are generally at the highest risk of developing illnesses from secondary asbestos exposure. However, others nearby may have been harmed as well.
Why Spouses and Domestic Partners Face Asbestos Exposure Risks
Spouses and domestic partners of workers exposed to asbestos on the job have often faced the most direct exposure from their loved ones’ clothes and equipment. They were also often tasked with performing household chores that could’ve disturbed asbestos fibers lingering in carpets, clothes, and other parts of the home, further exposing them.
Asbestos Exposure Risks for Children of Industrial Workers
Many children of workers have also been heavily exposed to asbestos around them and in their homes. Because mesothelioma has a latency period of decades, some children who experienced secondary asbestos exposure are just now receiving diagnoses.
The Risk of Asbestos Exposure for Residents Near Industrial Sites
Beyond the immediate families of workers, residents in areas near industrial sites that used asbestos have also potentially been exposed. Communities in the Pacific Northwest adjacent to facilities such as shipyards, power plants, oil refineries, and paper mills may have been at the highest risk.
There is no “safe” level of asbestos exposure.
The High-Risk Industries Behind Secondary Asbestos Exposure in the Pacific Northwest
Washington and Oregon were home to many industries that traditionally made heavy use of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials, including the following:
Shipbuilding and Naval Yards
Asbestos was widely used at shipyards due to its durability and heat resistance. Workers building, maintaining, or serving on ships were likely exposed to asbestos through insulation, adhesives, gaskets, pipe coverings, and other components.
Pulp, Paper, and Timber Mills
Workers at paper mills were often exposed to asbestos insulation near high-heat equipment, such as boilers and drying systems. When components broke down or needed repairs, asbestos fibers were disturbed and released into the air, allowing those around to inhale them.
Construction, Renovation, and Building Trades
Many older buildings utilized asbestos-containing materials, including insulation, floor and ceiling tiles, siding, roofing, and more. Construction workers were heavily exposed to asbestos fibers released into the air when these materials were disturbed during cutting, sawing, drilling, demolition, and other work.
Geographic Areas in the Pacific Northwest Linked to Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Some parts of Washington and Oregon saw greater industrial activity involving asbestos materials, leading to higher rates of secondary asbestos exposure.
Asbestos Exposure in Washington
Most known Washington asbestos exposure sites are concentrated on the West Coast and in the Puget Sound region, as shipbuilding and naval operations were significant sources of secondary exposure in the state. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, Zidell Dismantling Port Industrial Yard near Tacoma, and Naval Station Everett may have exposed the families of workers and veterans to asbestos.
Cities with known exposure sites in Washington include the following:
Asbestos Exposure in Oregon
Most prominent asbestos exposure sites in Oregon are clustered in the northwest region of the state, within Multnomah, Columbia, and Clackamas counties. Paper mills like The Weyerhaeuser Company’s sites in Springfield were known to have exposed workers to asbestos, as did shipbuilding operations like the Portland Ship Repair Yard.
Military personnel and their families also have been exposed to asbestos at facilities such as Portland Air Force Base or the Umatilla Army Depot near Hermiston. In addition, older school buildings at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University contain asbestos.
Cities with documented asbestos exposure in Oregon include the following:
Diseases Linked to Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Secondary asbestos exposure is a known cause of several diseases, including rarer conditions like ovarian and testicular cancers. The most common conditions linked to secondary exposure include the following:
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma, the disease most commonly associated with asbestos exposure, is a rare and deadly cancer that affects the lining of the organs, usually the lungs or stomach. In fact, asbestos exposure is the only confirmed cause of the disease. It
Mounting documented mesothelioma diagnoses over the last several decades have established the link between the disease and secondary asbestos exposure for family members of Pacific Northwest industrial workers. Many of these cases have led to litigation.
Mesothelioma is incurable. However, a variety of treatment options are available that can significantly prolong a patient’s time left and markedly improve their quality of life.
Asbestosis and Pleural Disease
Asbestosis is a condition caused by long-term asbestos exposure, characterized by scarring of the lungs from inhaling asbestos fibers. Pleural diseases are conditions affecting the tissue surrounding the lungs, which can also result from secondary asbestos exposure.
These illnesses affect the proper functioning of the lungs, leading to shortness of breath, coughing, and other symptoms. While patients with these diseases generally have a higher risk of developing cancer, the illnesses are not typically fatal on their own.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer causes tumors to develop inside the lungs, impacting the patient’s breathing. While mesothelioma can impact the tissue lining the lungs, lung cancer develops inside the organ itself.
Like mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer is often fatal. However, if caught early and treated, it can be cured.
Why Asbestos Exposure Diseases Are Often Diagnosed Decades Later
Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses have very long latency periods, meaning symptoms typically don’t appear until decades after asbestos exposure. Victims of secondary asbestos exposure may not experience symptoms for as long as 50 years.
Because symptoms typically develop so slowly, patients are often not diagnosed until the later stages of the disease. Thus, seeking prompt medical attention as soon as you suspect asbestos exposure is key to early detection.
How to Seek Medical Evaluation for Secondary Asbestos Exposure in the Pacific Northwest
If you believe you experienced secondary asbestos exposure, talk to your primary care doctor about your concerns. Monitor your health closely for any symptoms of asbestos-related diseases, such as chest pain, a chronic cough, or breathing problems. If you experience any of them, tell your doctor immediately. Your doctor can recommend additional testing or refer you to a specialist for further evaluation.
If you need help finding a health care provider, Oslund Udo Little can help connect you to the care you need.