I’ve seen a couple of Twitter “tweets” referring to an article that appeared last year where an Australian woman died from Mesothelioma contracted after years of handling and washing her husbands work clothes.  Her husband worked in a old power plant during the 1960’s and regularly came in contact with asbestos.

This case brings up an issue that many of us don’t think about – “take-home” toxins.  The fact is that many people work in a job where they can potentially bring work-place hazards home with them.  This creates the possibility of inadvertently exposing family and friends to potential health hazards.

In the article, the Australian woman would try to shake out as much dust from her husband’s overalls as she could before washing them.  What she didn’t know was that the dust she was shaking out contained large quantities of asbestos fibers.  After years of breathing this “dust” every time she washed her husband’s clothes lead to her developing mesothelioma, another name for cancer of the lining of the lung.

A 2000 USA Today article titled “Poisoning the Nest” described the problem this way:

A USA TODAY computer database investigation found that employees in more than 35 states have unwittingly transported toxins away from work sites — potentially exposing legions of family members to contaminants such as mercury, radioactive material, beryllium, lead, asbestos, PCBs, pesticides and arsenic. Toxins have been carried in workers’ cars and on shoes, socks, clothes, hair, tools, folders and briefcases. Although family members may never develop medical problems or come into contact with the contaminants, others have died or now cope with lifelong health problems and fatal illnesses. Children often are in the most danger because of their developing organs and higher metabolic rates, health experts say.

Although this article is a little dated, it still contains a lot of useful information.  You can read it by clicking here.

Taking a look at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the government agency that’s SUPPOSED to be tracking these kinds of cases, leaves much to be desired.  Their web page on “Take Home Toxins” only has 3 publications – and one of those is basically a report to Congress asking for money to fund research in this topic.  However, you will find some good tips in their pamphlet “Protect Your Family – Reduce Contamination at Home.”

Who’s Most at Risk

What all these articles and government pamphlets make clear is that it’s our loved ones that are most at risk from “take-home toxins,” primarily young children and the elderly.  The immune system of both of these groups are not as hardy or as efficient as a healthy adult, the former because it’s still being developed and the former because of the effects of age.

Although our immediate family members are most at risk, there have also been cases of exposure to friends and neighbors as well.

Examples of Take-Home Toxins

According to NIOSH, some examples of toxins that have been inadvertently taken home by workers include:

Contaminants that caused health effects have among workers’ families include:

• beryllium
  Nearly 40 reported cases of chronic beryllium disease were identified among workers’ families.
• asbestos
  Asbestos reaching workers’ homes has occurred worldwide, resulting in all forms of asbestos disease among workers’ family members, including over 100 identified deaths from mesothelioma in the United States. Although asbestos is now used less and regulated more, there is still the chance for exposure among workers’ families, especially among construction workers.
• lead
  Nearly 80 reported cases of workers’ family exposure to lead contamination were identified. More than half of the reports on workers’ children have occurred since 1990.
• mercury
  In six reported cases, workers’ homes were contaminated with mercury. The occupations of the workers involved included working at a chlor-alkali plant, the manufacturing of thermometers, and extracting gold at home.
• arsenic
  Arsenic in mine and smelter dust brought home on a worker’s clothing was considered a source of a child’s poisoning.
• cadmium
  Cadmium in the homes of lead-smelter workers resulted in increased levels in the workers’ children.
• pesticides
  Pesticide poisoning resulted in fatal and nonfatal cases in workers’ household members. Most reports occurred before 1980, but three more recent cases exist.
• caustic farm products
  More than 40 farm children have been poisoned by caustic farm products.
• chlorinated hydrocarbons
  Family members have been exposed when workers brought these substances home on their clothing.
• estrogenic substances
  Boys and girls have been affected by hormone-like chemicals brought home on the clothing of farmers and drug-company workers.
• asthmagens and allergens
  Family members have had allergic reactions to allergens from animals, mushroom farming, grain dust, and other materials.
• fibrous glass
  Family members have developed irritated skin after their clothing was washed with an insulation worker’s work clothes.
• cyclothriethylenetriamine (RDX)
  One child had epileptic seizures from this chemical brought home on a parent’s work clothes.
• infectious agents
  Family members have caught diseases such as scabies and Q fever from the clothing and skin of workers from hospitals, laboratories, and agricultural facilities.

Although these include the most toxic, don’t forget the “extra strength” cleaners and solvents that many people bring home.  Many of these “industrial strength” products include ingredients that can be very irritating, if not actually toxic, to children and other family members.  Also keep in mind that most “industrial strength” cleaners, for example, typically require the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves and maybe even face shields whereas products designed for home use typically do not.  That in itself should give you some indication of how harsh the ingredients can be.

How to Protect Your Family from Take-Home Toxins

Although this list is not complete by any stretch of the imagination, here are a couple of tips that immediately come to my mind.  Of course, you also need to review the articles and pamphlets referenced above.

1. “Decontaminate” before leaving work. If you work in a job that’s dusty or dirty, make sure you wash-up and possibly shower before coming home.
2. “Contain” any potential toxins in your Work-clothes. Any potential toxins in dirty or dusty work-clothes should be contained by placing the work-clothes in a plastic bag or in a bin with a tight-fitting lid.  Many employers require workers to change clothes before going home and provide containment bins for dirty clothes.  If yours does not, use a heavy-weight plastic bag to prevent any dust from contaminating your car — and your home — and wipe down the outside of the bag with a wet cloth to remove any dust and/or toxins that might be clinging to the plastic.
3. Keep work-clothes isolated. Wash your work-clothes separately and make sure that the washer tub is clean and thoroughly rinsed out before starting another load in order to prevent any cross-contamination to other clothes.
4. Reduce dust generation when washing. When handling and washing work clothes, reduce the generation of dust as much as possible.   Most take-home toxins enter the body through inhalation so do NOT shake out the clothes.  Get them wet as soon as possible in order to prevent any dust – as well as any potential toxins – from becoming airborne.  If you bring your work-clothes in a plastic bag, you might consider hosing down the bag in the front yard as you open it and then proceeding to hose down the clothes themselves.  Again, your intent is to reduce bringing in any dust, fibers, and potential toxins into your home.
5. Wash your hands after handling dirty work-clothes. This one should be obvious.
6. Don’t bring work solvents or cleaners home. Leave the “industrial strength” chemical in the work place.  There’s just too much risk of your kids being exposed to harsh and/or possibly toxic chemicals in industrial solvents and/or cleaners.

Like most potential hazards, awareness is the best form of prevention.  Knowing what can happen and being proactive to make sure it doesn’t is your best defense against “take-home toxins.”

Hiram

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