Responses to Incidents of Workers' Home Contamination to Asbestos

Several Federal agencies have responded to incidents of workers' home contamination, often working together with State or local government agencies. These responses have resulted in identification of workers' home contamination, decontamination of workers' homes, and recommendations for instituting workplace changes that would prevent further contamination.

NIOSH has conducted approximately 40 health hazard evaluations that address potential home contamination. In several cases, Federal agencies have referred incidents to State or local health departments for follow-up actions.

State agencies have investigated incidents of workers' home contamination, made referrals to Federal agencies for follow-up actions, and recommended workplace improvements to prevent further contamination of workers' homes.

Responses to incidents of workers' home contamination include educational materials such as those of the Lead Industries Association, Inc. on preventing workers' home contamination as well as responses of various employers to specific incidents of home contamination.