Is Your Laundry Killing You?

There has always been a bit of a misconception that Asbestos exposure is something that only affects men. I think that stems from the fact that most asbestos exposure occurred in the workplace in the past and historically, it has been men who were the bread winner. However, while does sbestos related diseases do affect men in greater numbers than women, that by no means suggests that women are not also seriousy at risk. Some recent studies have actually revealed that women could be at a greater risk of contracting mesothelioma* than their male counterparts.

It is of believed that the majority asbestos exposure incidents in women are actually secondary exposure. This occurs when a friend or relative carries asbestos fibers into the home from another source. The most common cases are when fibers enter the home carried on a spouse's clothing if they work in a field where asbestos exposure is a risk. As an example, a lot of men who were employed in ship building. before the 1990's would have been heavily exposed to the substance which can attach to clothing, skin and hair. This mean that those fibers were carried home with them and contamined their home environment. The simple act of wiping their shoes on the mat could send up a cloud of harmful asbestos particles. The risk is even greater for women who were laundering their husband's work clothes.

While asbestos is not so commonly used now – in fact one of the only ways that most people come into contact with it at work is if they are in the asbestos abatement field – I think all of us girls need to ask ourselves.. “am I risking my health by doing my significant other's laundry?” - seems like a great excuse to me!

*mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure.