Key Finding
Asbestos exposure was not limited to workers who directly handled asbestos products. Bystander exposure — working near asbestos installers, or laundering contaminated work clothing — was sufficient to cause mesothelioma. Family members of heavily exposed workers face elevated risk independent of their own occupation.
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Secondary & Household Exposure
Family members of workers may also have been exposed.
Asbestos fibres brought home on work clothing — laundered by spouses or handled by children — have caused mesothelioma in family members who never directly worked with asbestos. This "household exposure" or "para-occupational exposure" is recognized in asbestos trust fund eligibility criteria and may entitle family members to file their own claims.