Illinois Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure

Ranked seventh in the nation for asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer deaths, Illinois is well known for its industrial strength, and asbestos use has a long history in the state. Even though Illinois contains no naturally occurring asbestos deposits, the raw mineral found a way into the state through industry and commerce. At least 372,776 tons of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite was shipped from Libby, Montana to 30 locations throughout Illinois, such as Chicago, Girard, Peoria, Quincy, Buda and Calumet City.

W.R. Grace and Chicago

One of these locations is the former W.R. Grace & Company facility in West Chicago (603 Fenton Lane). Between 1974 and the early '90s, this plant processed more than 273,000 tons of Libby's asbestos-containing vermiculite. In 1996, W.R. Grace stopped operations and sold the 6.4-acre site to Royal Corinthian in 1998. Presently, Royal Corinthian produces marble columns and rails in the facility. The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) reports recent samplings and tests conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency detected trace amounts of Libby asbestos in the soil surrounding the plant. The ATSDR also reports that samples and tests performed by W.R. Grace in 1996 showed asbestos levels in the air inside the facility were "below levels that would be a health concern." It is important to note the ATSDR Web site on this processing plant states, "Some information about the air sample results is missing and should be obtained, if possible, to confirm this conclusion."

At Risk Industries

According to a 1997 publication by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), "all levels of asbestos exposure studied to date have demonstrated asbestos-related disease - [and] there is no level of exposure below which clinical effects do not occur." Thus, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure that affords little or no health risk. Other industries with a history of asbestos usage in Illinois have included power generation and oil refining. In fact, major corporations such as Amoco, Citgo, Mobil, Shell, and Standard have operated oil refineries in Illinois - and all have been named defendants in asbestos-related lawsuits. Just like oil refineries, power generation plants have used asbestos for its heat and fire resistance. Some power plants that have used asbestos in the state of Illinois include the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Baldwin Power Plant, Illinois Light & Power, Chicago Nuclear Powerhouse and Powerton Powerhouse.

Bordering Lake Michigan, Illinois bears a proud naval legacy with the Great Lakes Naval Base, the largest single training facility for the U.S. Navy. Though this naval base was not involved in shipbuilding, which is well-known for asbestos use, asbestos exposure has been a problem at this training facility. Though the state is located thousands of miles away from any ocean, Illinois does feature an extensive shipbuilding history. Naturally, shipbuilding was economically important in the port city of Chicago, which provided many ships during the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. For example, the Chicago Ship Building Company was founded in 1890 and became the leading builder of steel ships on the Great Lakes.

In addition to industrial exposure, many public structures throughout the state have posed asbestos exposure issues, such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings. In Kankakee alone, asbestos has been a problem at industrial sites, a DOT parking garage, a Catholic school, the city hospital, and the water system (from contamination of asbestos-containing water pipes).

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