The Exposure Interview
A careful interview moves through a person’s history in manageable sections, allowing uncertain details to remain uncertain while useful leads are developed.
Build the history one detail at a time
Chronology
Build the timeline first.
- Homes and schools
- Employers and jobsites
- Military service if applicable
Exposure pathways
Then explore the work and products.
- Tasks and nearby trades
- Equipment and materials
- Household and personal-product use
A life history is more useful than a product quiz
People are often asked whether they remember asbestos. Decades later, that can be the wrong first question. A better interview reconstructs environments, tasks, equipment, nearby work, family routines and time periods, then researches what those details may mean.
Work
Employers, departments, trades, shifts, shutdowns, maintenance, tools, equipment and adjacent crews can create research leads even when no brand name is remembered.
Home and family
Parents' and spouses' jobs, work clothing, laundry, vehicles, home workshops, renovations and residences can matter to a complete history.
Military service
Branch, rate or MOS, ship, base, duty station, equipment and repair work can help locate service records and historical materials.
Products and routines
Descriptions of packaging, texture, application, frequency and where a product was purchased can be useful even when the name is uncertain.
Uncertainty belongs in the record
A careful interviewer separates what a person remembers directly from what was learned later, what another witness remembers, and what historical documents suggest. The goal is not to make the history fit a theory. It is to understand the history well enough to see what the evidence supports.