Worker Had High Levels Of Asbestos Exposure At Job; Woman Exposed At Home Doing His Laundry — Classic Case Of Indirect Contact Asbestos-Mesothelioma
A December 2011 article, “Wife killed by asbestos dust on clothes”, tells the story of Phyllis Millson, the wife of Howard Millson, who contracted mesothelioma from secondary asbestos exposure and died.
The heating system at Howard’s job was filled with asbestos-lined pipes on which he was required to perform maintenance from time to time. The cutting and removal of the asbestos pipe covering from those pipes resulted in a high level of asbestos exposure.
Additionally, when Howard removed asbestos ceiling panels, they were often fragile and would often fall apart in his hands, again creating asbestos dust.
After Howard came home from his job, Phyllis would wash his work clothes, and in the process, she was indirectly exposed to asbestos dust.
Early in 2011 Phyllis had overcome bowel cancer but, unfortunately, soon thereafter was diagnosed with mesothelioma and died on October 21, 2011. It was determined that her mesothelioma was a result of the secondary exposure to asbestos from washing her husband’s work clothes.
Even though the events in this article did not take place in North Carolina, second-hand asbestos exposure and subsequent tragedies, such as Phyliss’ asbestos-related death, can happen anywhere. Often times it can be determined how the asbestos exposure during childhood happened and, in turn, an asbestos lawsuit for legal compensation can be filed on behalf of the mesothelioma victim or his surviving family.