Asbestos Mesothelioma: All in the Wash?

Washington, NCEvie's husband was first diagnosed with bronchitis in 1986: he died four years later from mesothelioma. They received a small settlement but Evie and her son both have lung-related illnesses and they are worried—were they exposed to asbestos fibers from her husband's clothing?

"My husband Bart worked in the shipyards as a sheet metal worker and pipefitter all through the 50s and 60s," says Evie (not her real name pending a lawsuit). "After that, he worked for a construction company renovating old houses. He didn't feel good but he still worked, coughing all the time. His last job was at Flanders Filters—as a metal worker again, just before he was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

He began complaining about his chest but the doctor said he had pneumonia or bronchitis so Bart was prescribed drugs for bronchitis but nothing else. We eventually went to another doctor and this time he had x-rays that showed how sick he was.

For about eight months, he went to the hospital every day for chemo and radiation but it made him even sicker and he lost so much weight. Bart was in and out of hospital, usually for a few nights each time. (We only live a few miles from the hospital so we went there when he was really bad.) They wanted Bart to stay in the hospital but he wanted to sleep in his own bed and that is where he died.

Now I am concerned that my son and I could have been exposed to asbestos fibers through his clothing—we both have chronic bronchitis and that is how Bart's illness started. Nobody ever told us to keep clothes separated—I just washed his workclothes in the same washload as ours. Bart never had any special safety gear; he just wore his own clothes to work and came home at night all dusty—his shirts and pants would be covered with white powder.

We filed a lawsuit against the shipyard in 1986 and settled in November 2000, just before he died—we received payments that totaled about $50,000. My husband was alive when we first received the payments but he was so sick—it was too late. That's not much for one life."

Asbestos pipe insulation was used extensively on military and civilian ships and countless workers were exposed to asbestos while serving in the Navy or Merchant Marine or working in shipyards.

Many family members of asbestos workers are also victims of asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibers are so miniscule they can cling to clothing and shoes, skin and hair. Although federal safety laws clearly state precautionary measures for anyone who must work with asbestos, many employees were unaware of any danger from asbestos, especially victims of non-occupational asbestos exposure such as Evie and her son.

The Mesothelioma Treatment and Resource Center advises anyone in contact with asbestos to:

- Shower after work at the workplace
- Store street clothes in a separate locker at work
- Change clothes before leaving the workplace
- Launder clothes at the workplace
- Wash work clothes separately at home