Asbestos and Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an exciting – and sometimes stressful – time in a woman’s life. There are many things to think about, and worry about, during the roughly nine months it takes to get from start to finish. Of course, health concerns are at the top of the list, and any woman who has been exposed to asbestos in the past might consider adding that one to the list. 

This article will look at the relationship between asbesto and pregnant women, and what all women should know about exposure going into this important phase of life. While there is nothing that can be done during the pregnancy about asbestos exposure that may have taken place in the past, it’s important for women [1] to have all of the information they need to make smart choices about their care to limit exposure while carrying a child. 

Why Is Asbestos So Dangerous? 

First, before focusing specifically on pregnant women, it would be helpful to set up the backdrop of why asbestos is harmful to all people. This is a naturally occurring fiber, so it would be normal to think that something found in nature isn’t damaging to human health. However, as decades of asbestos exposure have shown, the damage these fibers do to the human body can be devastating. 

Asbestos has no smell or taste, and you don’t always know when you’re breathing or ingesting it.

Asbestos fibers are microscopic, and they float in the air, invisible to the naked eye. Also, they have no smell, and no taste when ingested. It’s easy for the fibers to get into the human body, and because of their incredible durability, they can remain there for decades and do plenty of damage along the way. That durability is what drew so many companies to use asbestos in the first place, but in the end, the longevity of the fibers also makes it very harmful.

Most asbestos diseases like mesothelioma take 20-50 years to appear.

There are a variety of asbestos-related diseases that can develop long after a person has been exposed to these fibers.[2] The long latency period between exposure and illness is part of the reason that asbestos was able to do such damage to so many people. Eventually, diseases like lung cancer y mesotelioma can develop, and many people who are diagnosed with these illnesses live for only a short period of time.

Pregnancy Concerns 

It’s rare to find even a small bit of good news when it comes to asbestos. Simply put, these fibers have been a disaster to human health across the board and have led to untold amounts of suffering and loss for the people who’ve come into contact with the material along the way. However, when it comes to pregnancy, specifically, and the impact that asbestos may have on an unborn baby, the news isn’t quite so grim.

Not a major risk, but those who may have been exposed as infants can get tested for asbestos scarring on their lungs.

There isn’t much in the way of solid science that indicates there is a major risk to an unborn baby when a mother inhales air that contains asbestos fibers.[3] While it can’t be ruled out as a possibility, and some studies have shown that the fibers can make their way to the child, it isn’t known to be a major risk because chances are the fibers will get lodged in lung tissue first. This bit of information should be able to offer mothers-to-be, or mothers of children who are already born, a little peace of mind knowing that they likely didn’t share the asbestos problem with their child in any meaningful way.

However, that being said, it’s still necessary to take as much caution as possible to stay away from sources of asbestos. That’s true for pregnant women just as it is true for any other group of people. Asbestos should never be inhaled if it can at all be avoided. Whether the person in question is about to be a mother or is in any other stage of life, the prudent course of action is just to stay away. 

Follow the Chain 

At this point, asbestos has been out of widespread, commercial use for nearly 40 years. While it is still used in some very limited applications, those uses are highly regulated and contamination is unlikely thanks to the safety measures that are now used. However, even if no one in a family has been anywhere around asbestos anytime recently, that doesn’t mean the threat is entirely gone.

The younger that you were when exposed to asbestos, the more likely you are to develop an enfermedad relacionada con el asbesto como el cáncer de pulmón, mesotelioma o asbestosis.[4]

For example, a person in their late 30s or early 40s today may have been born to a woman in the 1980s who was exposed to asbestos in one form or another. That means it’s technically possible, although perhaps not likely, that the person could have been exposed to asbestos in utero and may be at risk of a related disease later in life. Again, these aren’t the most likely pathways to deal with an asbestos-related disease, but it’s a good idea to trace the possible connections to these harmful fibers to make sure no stone is left unturned. 

No Time to Waste 

For a woman who has recently learned that she is pregnant, or for a woman who might become pregnant in the future, it’s never too soon to consider what past asbestos exposure may have done to one’s health. Even though the exposure can’t be undone, the sooner a person can get medical attention, the better. Treatments aren’t always available or effective (depending on an individual’s unique situation), but getting help directly from experienced medical professionals offers the best chance of a positive outcome. 

Of course, it’s also possible that financial compensation may be available for a woman in this situation. Countless previous victims have already collected compensation in one form or another, and no victims should be left out when they have a valid claim to receive damages for any damage that was done. Reaching out to an experienced attorney in this space right away is the best course of action to learn more about the options that are available and ensure the success of a case.There are fondos fiduciarios available for those who do not wish to pursue a time-consuming,  complicated, and costly lawsuit, too. Asbestos trusts offer compensation for asbestos health problems, without a lawsuit. Don’t delay, call an asbestos attorney to discuss your rights today.

[1]  Malignant mesothelioma mortality in women—United States, 1999–2020., Mazurek, J.M., Blackley, D.J. and Weissman, D.N., 2022. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 71(19), p.645.

[2] Asbestos, lung cancers, and mesotheliomas: from molecular approaches to targeting tumor survival pathways., Heintz, N.H., Janssen-Heininger, Y.M. and Mossman, B.T., 2010. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 42(2), pp.133-139.

[3] Association between mesothelioma and non-occupational asbestos exposure: systematic review and meta-analysis., Xu, R., Barg, F.K., Emmett, E.A., Wiebe, D.J. and Hwang, W.T., 2018. Environmental Health, 17, pp.1-14.
[4] Dose-response modeling of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated diseases: asbestos, lung cancer, and malignant mesothelioma as examples., Cox Jr, L.A., 2019. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 49(7), pp.614-635.