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Buffalo - Asbestos & Mesothelioma Resources

New York's second largest city, Buffalo was founded around 1789 as trading center and grew rapidly after the opening of the Erie Canal (the city is located on Lake Erie's eastern shore). In the early 1900s, Buffalo advanced rapidly, becoming home to the world's largest steel factory and the nation's largest grain milling center.

The city also became the base for a major railroad. The steel industry was a significant part of Buffalo's economy for the first half of the twentieth century, but Buffalo's steel industry declined when the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway changed the Great Lakes shipping routes. Today, the city's economy depends on light industry, technology, and the service sector; some small steel mills remain, as do a few automotive parts plants. In 2007, Buffalo was the nation's 68th largest city with a population of 272,632.

Asbestos has been a major concern in Buffalo because the city's industrial past. Asbestos was widely applied in the steel industry, as it was used in the buildings of steel mills and in workers' protective clothing. The hazardous mineral was also widely used in the railroad industry. Workers who worked directly with asbestos-containing materials were at the greatest risk of asbestos exposure.

Inhaling asbestos fibers is dangerous. Asbestos which is capable of crumbling and releasing fibers is called friable. Non-friable asbestos is considered safe because it does not release hazardous fibers, but it can become friable with age or damage. Inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to the chronic, disabling lung disease asbestosis and to the rare cancer mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma. Being exposed asbestos can also lead to other health problems, including other cancers.

Statistical Data

Buffalo is the county seat of Erie County. According to data compiled by the Environmental Working Group from statistics collected by the Centers for Disease Control, New York ranks third among the states in terms of asbestos-related deaths. At least 2,626 people have died in New York since 1979 from asbestos-related illnesses.

County	Asbestosis	Mesothelioma	Meso High	Total
Erie	36	146	260	181-295
Niagara	32	65	110	93-138
Genesee	4	7	14	11-18
Cattaraugus	3	12	18	15-21
Chautauqua	4	21	41	25-45

** The government did not begin tracking mesothelioma separately as a cause of death until 1998. When they did, the mortality rate nationwide for deaths from mesothelioma more than doubled. The lower number in each range represents an estimated mortality rate based on asbestos cancers that were thought to be mesothelioma. The higher range reflects the mesothelioma rate if one assumes that the incidence during earlier years was actually twice that reflected by government statistics.

Historical Asbestos Exposure Sites

Steel Mills

Bethlehem Steel - Bethlehem Steel was founded in Pennsylvania in 1857 as the Saucona Iron Company. The company changed and expanded several times over the years. In 1922, Bethlehem Steel acquired Lackawanna Steel in Lackawanna, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. The company shut down its basic steelmaking operations at Lackawanna in 1983 and its coke production plant in 2001.

Workers in the steel industry were at high risk for asbestos exposure. Asbestos was used in the buildings of steel mills and could be found in workers' protective clothing. Sparks from the furnaces could disturb the asbestos in the clothing, causing it to release fibers. Workers directly handling asbestos-containing materials were at greatest risk for exposure.

Other Industrial Sites

Allied Chemical - Allied Chemical was formed in 1922 by a merger between Aniline and Chemical Company and four other companies. The company, whose primary product was fabric dyes, consolidated it manufacturing processes at its Buffalo plant. By the early 1930s, Allied Chemical was also making plasticizers and other chemicals. In 1977, Buffalo Color bought the Allied Chemical facility in Buffalo.

Like so many industries, Allied Chemical used asbestos extensively throughout its facilities. By the 1960s, Allied was making an asbestos pipeline felt which was used to insulate pipes. Workers directly involved in the manufacture of this product and other asbestos-containing products were at greatest risk for asbestos exposure. Asbestos is dangerous when its fibers are inhaled. Activities such as making asbestos felt allowed the release of fibers into the air. Many former workers have filed asbestos lawsuits against Allied Chemical.

Power Plants

Electric power is supplied to Buffalo by the New York Power Authority, which runs the Niagara Power Project on the Niagara River. Like power companies across the United States, the New York Power Authority used asbestos extensively in its facilities. Asbestos was used to cover pipes and conduits. It was also used in machinery parts, such as gaskets. Non-friable asbestos can become friable with age or damage, and this happens frequently to asbestos used in machinery.

Persons who worked in Buffalo power plants prior to the mid-1980s were likely exposed to asbestos. Today, most power plants across the nation have conducted asbestos abatement programs by covering asbestos that could not be removed. Asbestos is considered safe if it is covered to help prevent the release of hazardous dust into the air.

Existing Asbestos Exposure Hazards

Industrial plants can still be a source of asbestos exposure if proper procedures are not followed. Most industrial plants strictly follow asbestos regulations designed to protect workers and the amount of asbestos in use in the U.S. has been greatly reduced. If you believe that asbestos regulations are not being followed at your workplace, contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Asbestos in the News

In September 2008, repair of a vault underneath downtown Buffalo's Washington Street was delayed when workers discovered asbestos-wrapped pipes in the aging sewer and utility system. City officials had begun repairs to shore up the vault when it was feared it might collapse. The work had already caused two blocks of the busy street to be closed for several days when the workers discovered the asbestos. City officials planned to ask the state for a variance of asbestos regulations so workers could cover the asbestos with cement rather than removing it, as removing the asbestos would delay the work by several additional weeks.

Regulations and Regulatory Agencies

Office of Public Affairs
Occupation Safety and Health Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW.
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 693-1999
1-800-321-6742 (1-800-321-OSHA)

For information on the health effects of asbestos and for information on asbestos testing contact:

Information Resources Branch
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Robert A. Taft Laboratories
Mailstop C-18
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
1-800-356-4674 (1800-35-NIOSH)
eidtechinfo@cdc.gov

Treatment Centers

Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Elm & Carlton Streets
Buffalo, New York 14263
(877) ASK-RPCI

Sisters of Charity Hospital
2157 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 862-1000

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