Women and Asbestos Exposure in the Workplace

While the ratio of male to female cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases tips overwhelmingly towards the male gender, women are not immune to these diseases. Many females have developed such illnesses due to second-hand exposure caused by their close relationship to family members who worked with the dangerous material. Others have developed the diseases due to their own past exposure in the workplace.

World War II and Asbestos in Women

The years of the early to mid-twentieth century conjure up pictures of Mom at home with the kids, baking pies, tending to school lunches, and supervising homework. When thousands upon thousands of men went to war from 1941 through 1945, women assumed their jobs on the home front.

This was an entirely new experience for most of the women in America. While they accepted their new responsibilities, there were certainly hazards involved. Women left the relative safety of their homes to build ships and planes, assemble ammunition, and take over any number of factory jobs that were suddenly available and needed staffing. Most women considered this an integral part of the war effort, and when the government encouraged them to join the workforce through their "Rosie the Riveter" campaign, 18 million women rose to the occasion by the end of the war.

What most women didn't realize, especially those that worked in shipbuilding and other industries where hazardous materials were used, was that they may have been putting their health at risk. While factory accidents were kept to a minimum, these women may have been inhaling asbestos fibers on a daily basis without knowing it. And because asbestos cancer remains latent for decades, many women weren't sickened until the 1980s, 90s, and the early years of the 21st century.

The "Rosies" of the war era, like their male counterparts, were given no gear to protect them against exposure to asbestos and other toxic chemicals, even though many industry leaders already knew the dangers of asbestos. They were willingly placed in harm's way and many suffered an early, painful death because of this war-time exposure.

Minority and Low-Income Women in the Workplace

While the World War II years certainly caused the highest asbestos exposure among women, minority and low-income women have traditionally held the kinds of jobs that increase the potential of exposure. These women were/are common fixtures in factory positions and other jobs seldom held by middle-class white women. That's why the rate of asbestos-related diseases among minority and low-income women is higher than that of middle income white women.

References:
  • Dodson, R. and Hammar, S. Asbestos: Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, and Health Effects. Taylor & Francis: Boca Raton. 2006.
  • Stahel RA,Weder W, Felip E; ESMO Guidelines Working Group. Malignant pleural mesothelioma: ESMO clinical recommendations for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Clinic and Policlinic of Oncology, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland. 2008.
  • Pass, I., Vogelzang, N., Carbone, M. Malignant Mesothelioma: Advances in Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Transitional Therapies. Springer: New York. 2005.
  • http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/malignantmesothelioma
  • http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mesothelioma.html

Last modified: February 15 2010.