Asbestos Contamination in the Home: NIOSH Cites Routes of Exposure

Read about the how family members experience exposure via second-hand contamination to asbestos and other dangerous carcinogens.

The means by which workers’ families experience exposure to hazardous substances include:

Work Clothing: Cases involve beryllium, lead, pesticides, and other chemicals. In some cases washing machines and dryers contained dangerous levels of the materials, poisoning those laundering work clothes and contaminating other laundry.

Tools and Equipment: Substances brought home on hand tools and other equipment have contaminated homes and vehicles. Cases involved mercury, pesticides, PCBs, and radioactive material.

Taking Items Home from Work: Items such as bags, rags, metal drums, and scrap lumber have caused serious and fatal poisonings of family members.

The Worker’s Body: Reports document cases where workers passed dangerous materials to their family members by their hands.

Cottage Industries: Twenty-two cases of contamination were found where work was done on home property. Contaminants included asbestos, lead, parathion, and mercury.

Farming: Several cases were found where families lived on the property where the farming was done. These involved pesticides, caustic substances, and a hormone like chemical.

Family Visits to the Workplace: Family members can be exposed to dangerous materials in dust or air through visits to work areas.

Courtesy of http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/wkhmcn.pdf

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