Exposure Assessment Checklist
Asbestos exposure occurred across hundreds of industries and occupations throughout the twentieth century. The checklist below covers the most common pathways. Check any that apply to you or a family member — even distant or brief exposure can be significant, particularly with high-potency amphibole fibers like amosite and crocidolite.
Did you ever…
- Work in a shipyard, ship repair, or naval construction facility?
- Work as a pipefitter, plumber, steamfitter, or pipecoverer?
- Work as an insulator or asbestos lagger?
- Work as a boilermaker, boiler tender, or steam plant operator?
- Work in a power plant, refinery, chemical plant, or steel mill?
- Serve in the U.S. Navy, particularly in engine rooms or below decks?
- Work in an auto repair shop performing brake or clutch work?
- Work in construction before 1980 (framing, drywall, roofing, flooring)?
- Work as an electrician in industrial or commercial settings?
- Work as a firefighter, particularly in older structures?
- Work as a plasterer, tile setter, or floor layer?
- Work in a textile mill that processed asbestos products?
- Live with someone who worked in any of the industries listed above?
- Attend or work in a school building constructed before 1980?
- Live near an asbestos manufacturing facility (e.g., Manville, NJ; Libby, MT; Tyler, TX)?
- Work in mining, particularly vermiculite, talc, or chrysotile mining?
If you checked one or more of these items, you have a meaningful exposure history. Proceed to the next sections to understand your risk level and next steps.
High-Risk Job Categories
Research by NIOSH and OSHA identifies the following occupations as carrying the highest historical asbestos exposure risk. Workers in these fields were regularly exposed to asbestos — often without warning, protective equipment, or knowledge of the hazard.
| Occupation / Industry | Primary Exposure Source | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Insulation workers (laggers) | Direct handling of pipe insulation, block insulation, and spray-applied materials | Very High |
| Shipyard workers | Pipe insulation, boiler insulation, gaskets aboard vessels; confined spaces concentrated fiber levels | Very High |
| Boilermakers | Boiler insulation, refractory materials, high-temperature gaskets | Very High |
| Pipefitters / plumbers | Pipe wrap, joint compound, gaskets, valve packing | High |
| Electricians (industrial) | Electrical panels, arc chutes, wire insulation, work near other trades | High |
| Auto mechanics (pre-1990) | Brake shoes, clutch facings, gaskets; grinding and drilling released fibers | High |
| Construction workers (pre-1980) | Drywall compound, ceiling tile, floor tile, roofing, fireproofing spray | High |
| U.S. Navy veterans | Virtually every ship built before 1975 contained extensive asbestos throughout engine and boiler rooms | Very High |
| Power plant / refinery workers | Turbine insulation, boiler block, pipe insulation in high-temperature process areas | High |
| Firefighters | Older buildings; asbestos-containing materials disturbed or burned during firefighting | Moderate |
| Teachers / school staff (pre-1980 buildings) | Damaged ceiling tiles, pipe lagging, floor tiles in hallways | Moderate |
Secondary (Household) Exposure
One of the most overlooked forms of asbestos exposure is secondary or household exposure — sometimes called "take-home" or "para-occupational" exposure. This occurred when workers brought asbestos fibers home on their clothing, skin, and hair, contaminating their household environment.
Spouses who shook out and laundered work clothes, children who greeted returning workers with a hug, and family members who shared living spaces with heavily exposed workers can carry significant lifetime asbestos burdens. Secondary exposure cases have resulted in mesothelioma diagnoses and substantial legal recoveries, even for individuals who never set foot in a factory or shipyard.
Signs of Secondary Exposure
- A spouse, parent, or sibling worked in a high-risk occupation listed above
- You remember a family member coming home in dusty or gray-streaked work clothes
- You laundered work uniforms or coveralls for a family member in a high-risk job
- The family member’s work clothes were stored in common areas of the home before washing
- You have been diagnosed with mesothelioma but have no direct occupational exposure history
Secondary exposure claims follow the same legal pathways as direct occupational exposure. The companies that manufactured asbestos products owed a duty of care not only to workers but to foreseeable household contacts.
What to Do With This Information
If you identified one or more exposure pathways above, here is the recommended course of action:
- Inform your physician of your asbestos exposure history. Many patients do not think to disclose their occupational history during routine medical visits. Your doctor needs this information to order appropriate monitoring. Put it in writing at your next appointment: the industries you worked in, the products you handled, and the years of exposure.
- Request a chest X-ray and, if appropriate, a low-dose CT scan. Asbestos-related diseases — including pleural plaques, asbestosis, and early-stage mesothelioma — may be detectable before symptoms appear. Early detection significantly expands treatment options for mesothelioma. Pleural plaques (harmless calcified patches on the lung lining) are a reliable marker of prior asbestos exposure.
- Document what you remember about your exposure. Write down every employer, job site, and product you remember being exposed to, along with approximate years. Include the names of colleagues who worked alongside you. This documentation will be valuable if you ever need to pursue a legal claim.
- If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer, consult an asbestos attorney immediately. Do not wait for your condition to worsen. Statutes of limitations begin running at diagnosis, and attorneys can pursue compensation while you focus on treatment. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless you win.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — this is actually the most common situation in asbestos litigation. Many of the largest asbestos manufacturers filed for bankruptcy decades ago precisely because of the volume of claims against them. Before filing for bankruptcy, these companies were required to establish asbestos bankruptcy trust funds to compensate future victims. Over $30 billion remains in these trusts, available to people who were exposed to their products. You do not need the company to still be operating — you just need to demonstrate that you were exposed to their product. An asbestos attorney can identify which trusts apply to your case and file claims on your behalf. See our Asbestos Trust Funds guide for more detail.
This is very common and is not a barrier to pursuing a claim. Most asbestos victims cannot recall specific product brand names from work they performed 30 or 40 years ago. Asbestos law firms have extensive internal databases of products used at specific job sites and facilities across the country. Investigators will interview you about the types of work you performed, the locations and employers involved, and the characteristics of the materials you worked with (color, texture, how it was packaged). From that information, experienced attorneys can typically identify the likely product manufacturers and match your history to applicable trust funds and defendants. Co-workers, union records, employment records, and Social Security Administration records are also used to reconstruct exposure histories.