What Is Secondary Asbestos Exposure?
Secondary asbestos exposure occurs when someone comes into indirect contact with asbestos fibers.
People who worked directly with asbestos-containing products may have come home with asbestos on clothes or other items they were wearing at work. If a child or spouse then hugged the person or handled their clothing, that person could be at risk of inhaling tiny asbestos fibers.
Secondhand asbestos exposure can lead to a number of asbestos-related illnesses, including mesothelioma — an aggressive cancer that most commonly develops in the lining of the lungs or abdomen.
The frequency, duration, and concentration of asbestos exposure can increase the risk of long-term health effects.
If you or someone you love has been exposed to asbestos secondhand, tell your doctor. There are tests your medical team can order to see if you’ve developed an asbestos-related disease.
Quick Facts on Asbestos Secondary Exposure
- Secondary exposure increases the risk of mesothelioma for family members of people who worked around asbestos.
- People with asbestos-related diseases may be able to get a payout through lawsuits, trust funds, or VA benefits to help cover the costs of treatment.
- Other names for secondary exposure include household exposure, domestic exposure, para-occupational exposure, and take-home asbestos exposure.
Download our Free Asbestos Products Guide to learn more about the types of products you or your loved one may have been exposed to and find out how to keep yourself safe.
Secondary Exposure vs. Other Types of Asbestos Exposure
Secondary asbestos exposure is different from other types of exposure. Here’s how.
Primary Asbestos Exposure
Primary asbestos exposure, also called direct exposure, happens to people who come in direct contact with asbestos-containing products.
This usually happens at work or during military service. For this reason, it’s also called occupational asbestos exposure.
Victims of primary asbestos exposure face the highest risk of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
However, secondary exposure victims who live in the household of someone who worked around asbestos may still be at risk of developing health complications.
Environmental Asbestos Exposure
Unlike secondary exposure, which happens after being near someone who worked around asbestos-containing products, environmental asbestos exposure can happen to anyone.
Asbestos can become airborne when disturbed and travel through the environment. This puts anyone in the area at risk of inhaling the asbestos dust or fibers.
Environmental exposure can occur when:
- Asbestos isn’t properly disposed of
- Asbestos is removed
- Naturally occurring asbestos deposits are disturbed
Towns with asbestos manufacturing plants have seen higher instances of people with asbestos-related diseases. This can happen when people unknowingly breathe in asbestos particles from the air around them — even if they aren’t working directly with the mineral.
Who Is at Risk for Secondary Exposure to Asbestos?
Anyone who lived with someone whose job put them in contact with asbestos-containing materials could be at risk of secondary asbestos exposure.
Those at risk of secondary exposure include:
- Children
- Domestic partners
- Parents
- Renters
- Spouses
- Other members of the household
If you lived with someone who worked around asbestos products, you could be at risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural plaques, and other pleural diseases.
Learn more about who may be at risk of asbestos exposure in our Free Asbestos Products Guide.
Asbestos in the Workplace & Secondary Exposure
The use of asbestos products was widespread for decades, since it was cheap, effective, and easy to obtain. It was also fire-resistant and a great insulator.
Dozens of occupations put workers in direct contact with asbestos on a daily basis. This, in turn, put these people’s families at risk for domestic asbestos exposure.
The most common occupations at risk of asbestos exposure include:
- Asbestos workers
- Auto mechanics
- Boilermakers
- Construction workers
- Engine workers
- Firefighters
- Insulators
- Miners
- Mill workers
- Plumbers and pipefitters
- Roofers
- Shipyard workers
- Textile workers
Is Secondhand Asbestos Exposure Still a Risk?
It should be noted that new asbestos exposure is not as much of a risk since many companies have stopped using asbestos in their products.
However, people who worked around asbestos in the past — or who may come in contact with older products that do contain asbestos — should be aware of their risk.
Because of the long latency period of asbestos, if people were exposed 10-50 years ago or more, they may only just now show symptoms of an asbestos illness.
In addition, legacy asbestos is still present in homes, buildings, and vehicles built before the 1980s, when the dangers of asbestos became known.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure Cases
Many people diagnosed with mesothelioma worked directly with asbestos, but there are also many cases of secondary asbestos exposure. Spouses and children of men in the military or high-risk occupations have found out that they had mesothelioma years later.
For example, 16+ year survivor Jill Litton was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma after initially thinking her symptoms were related to menopause. When the test results came back for mesothelioma, Jill and her whole medical team felt confused.
“I didn’t even know what mesothelioma was,” Jill said. “The medical staff didn’t know how to handle it, either. They kept saying that my test results were so unusual that they must be wrong.”
Jill’s father served in the military, and when she was a child, she would play on the same floor where asbestos dust from his work clothes landed each night. Jill may have been ingesting asbestos for years without her or her family having any idea.
Julie Gundlach also developed peritoneal mesothelioma after secondary exposure to asbestos. Their family was no stranger to the dangers and heartbreak of asbestos. Her father was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer in 2005, and tragically passed away from his illness. Thanks to an early diagnosis and aggressive treatments, Julie is still alive today.


“While there is a lot of gray in the world, I also know that there is right and there is wrong. And corporations that are responsible for asbestos use making a profit off of people’s pain and lives is wrong.”
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma but don’t know how you could have been exposed to asbestos, our team can help. Contact us to find out the possible source of your exposure and what financial options may be available to you.
Health Risks of Secondary Exposure to Asbestos
Domestic asbestos exposure can lead to a number of diseases and cancers. Early diagnosis is important for getting proper treatment that can help improve your length and quality of life.
Mesothelioma
A serious disease caused by asbestos is mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lining of certain organs and can spread to the rest of the body.
There are four types of this cancer: pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma, and testicular mesothelioma.
Early diagnosis and aggressive treatments can help extend mesothelioma patients’ lives.
Lung Cancer
Although it’s less common than mesothelioma, secondhand asbestos exposure can also cause lung cancer. While pleural mesothelioma develops in the lining of the lungs, asbestos-caused lung cancer develops in the lungs themselves.
Common symptoms of lung cancer include chest pain, shortness of breath, and chronic cough. People with lung cancer or mesothelioma may be eligible for treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy to improve their length and quality of life.
Certain risk factors, such as smoking, can increase a person’s risk of developing lung cancer due to secondary exposure.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a non-cancerous lung disease caused by inflammation and scarring from asbestos fibers.
Though asbestosis doesn’t spread like mesothelioma, it can make breathing so difficult that a person eventually goes into organ failure or experiences suffocation.
Unfortunately, while people can get care to alleviate symptoms, treatment can’t reverse the damage of this condition.
Pleural Plaques
If asbestos fibers get into the covering surrounding the lungs, pleural plaques can form. These are hardened collagen deposits that fill up the pleural space (the space within the lung lining).
People often don’t experience symptoms with pleural plaques, and treatment typically isn’t necessary. However, this condition is usually a sign of asbestos exposure, which automatically puts people at risk of developing more serious illnesses like lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure Prevention
People who have been indirectly exposed to asbestos didn’t know they were in danger.
And it’s more important than ever to understand the potential health effects and take measures to protect people from the harm of asbestos.
If you work around asbestos, protect your loved ones and environmental health by:
- Avoiding disturbing asbestos, as this can make it airborne.
- Never sweeping the dry asbestos dust without wetting it first.
- Removing clothing, shoes, or gear before returning home.
- Taking a shower or otherwise cleaning yourself before leaving the job site.
- Wearing protective gear like a mask, coveralls, and gloves.
Legal Options for Victims of Secondary Exposure to Asbestos
If you’re a secondary asbestos exposure victim, you may be able to get mesothelioma compensation through various legal actions. These may include lawsuits and asbestos trust funds.
Legal payouts are awarded to help with:
- Loss of companionship
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- Treatment costs
Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Patients with mesothelioma — regardless of how they developed the disease — may be able to bring a legal claim against the manufacturers of the asbestos products that got them sick.
Nearly all mesothelioma lawsuits end in a settlement, meaning patients don’t have to go through a long trial and appear in court. Many payouts from settlements begin within 90 days.
The average payout for a mesothelioma lawsuit is between $1 million and $1.4 million.
- $30 billion has been set aside in asbestos trust funds to pay mesothelioma victims
- $1 million to $1.4 million average settlement amount
- $9.6+ billion recovered for families by Simmons Hanly Conroy
- $5 million to $11.4 million average verdict amount
Simmons Hanly Conroy, Mealey’s® Litigation Report: Asbestos, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office
Lawsuit Settlement Amounts
Mesothelioma Hope’s partner law firm, Simmons Hanly Conroy, has extensive experience securing compensation for asbestos victims.
Some of the firm’s settlement results for secondary exposure include:
- $4.93 million for an Illinois woman who was exposed through her father’s work
- $3.24 million for a mail carrier in Wisconsin whose father worked as a laborer
- $2.88 million for a Michigan mother exposed through her husband and son
- $2.55 million for a woman in Indiana whose husband was a heavy equipment mechanic
- $2.38 million for a Michigan woman with secondary exposure from her husband
- $2.13 million for a woman in Wisconsin exposed through her father & grandfather
Asbestos Trust Funds
Asbestos companies developed trust funds to pay future victims of exposure. Asbestos trust funds currently hold more than $30 billion, which is money available to people who have been harmed by asbestos.
A trusted asbestos law firm can help you determine whether you should file an asbestos lawsuit, a trust fund claim, or both.
In addition, if you were exposed because a loved one in your home served in the military, you may qualify for financial support through the VA.
Find out what legal claims you may be able to file during a Free Asbestos Case Review. Our team can evaluate your situation and let you know your options.
Get Help for Illnesses Caused by Secondary Exposure to Asbestos
If you or someone you love were diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you don’t have to face it alone. Regardless of how you may have been exposed to asbestos, help is available.
Our team of caring Patient Advocates are standing by with the knowledge and resources to help you navigate this diagnosis.
We can help you:
- Determine the origin of your asbestos exposure
- Evaluate your financial options
- Find a doctor for specialized care
Reach out to Mesothelioma Hope to learn more about how we can help you determine your medical, financial, and other options.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure FAQs
What are the symptoms of secondary asbestos exposure?
Asbestos exposure of any kind doesn’t present symptoms until a disease forms, typically 10-50 years after the fact.
Symptoms vary by the condition, but may include a dry cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
How much exposure to asbestos do you need to get sick?
Technically, you only need to breathe in or swallow asbestos one time for it to get stuck in your body. Once asbestos enters the lining of the lungs and other organs, it doesn’t leave, which can lead to scarring and inflammation.
Repeat exposure to high concentrations of asbestos increases a person’s risk for mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other related diseases.
What are the odds of getting asbestosis from asbestos exposure?
Asbestosis is one of the more common conditions a person can develop from direct asbestos exposure.
There is less of a risk of asbestosis with secondary exposure.
Can you catch asbestos from someone?
Asbestos-related diseases are not contagious, but you can experience secondhand asbestos exposure by breathing in asbestos fibers on the clothes or hair of someone else.
How long after asbestos exposure do symptoms appear?
How long it will take for symptoms to appear in someone who’s been exposed to asbestos depends on how long it takes for a dangerous disease to form.
Many of the diseases related to asbestos don’t show symptoms in the early stages, so it could be years before a person recognizes the signs.