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San Antonio - Asbestos & Mesothelioma Resources

When the owner and developer of San Antonio's historic Blue Star project in the King William neighborhood decided to extend their redevelopment to the nearby site of the old Big Tex Grain site, they were in for a nasty surprise. Big Tex is one of more than 700 sites around the country that processed vermiculite from the asbestos-contaminated mine owned by W.R. Grace & Company. The EPA started testing the site for asbestos presence and quantity in early 2006. By October 2007, they weren't yet finished with the testing but they had discovered that one of the buildings, Building 10, had been used as a "popper", processing the vermiculite ore with superheated air to expand it.

Unfortunately, that news may have come a little too late for the many artists and young people who regularly attended First Friday gatherings at the silos that were rented out by the developer as artists galleries and space. Although renters were specifically forbidden from living in the gallery space, it was always an open secret that many of the artists regularly crashed in the spaces that they or friends rented. Now they have reason to be worried. According to an October 2007 update issued by the EPA, the EPA and the Government Accountability Office agree that former silo renters should get screened for asbestos exposure. It was April 2008 before the EPA finally released their data, which showed 'worrisomely high' levels of asbestos in several areas around the site, and suggested that a remediation plan would be in place by July 2008.

Like many cities of its age and general industrial heritage, San Antonio struggles with the problem of asbestos contamination. With a population of just over 1.2 million, it is the sixth most populous city in the United States, and the fourth fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation. Like many other cities with an industrial past and a history of recent development, the majority of its buildings were constructed during the asbestos era - over 60% of all residential buildings in San Antonio were built before 1979, when asbestos was regularly used in construction. In addition, the city is home to oil and sugar refineries, chemical plants and railroads, all heavy users of asbestos containing products in the last decades. These facts put the population of San Antonio at risk for developing mesothelioma, both in the past and in the present.

Statistical Data

The state of Texas ranks fifth in the nation for deaths from mesothelioma and asbestosis. The figures compiled by the Environmental Working Group based on figures from the U.S. government's mortality statistics, only count mesothelioma and asbestosis. Not included in the figures are the thousands of cases of lung cancer and other cancers that are related to asbestos exposure.

Place	Asbestosis	Mesothelioma	Meso High	Total	High
United States	19758	23965	40411	43723	60169
Texas	1343	1349	2325	2692	3668
Bexar County	31	76	140	107	171

** 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 cancers that were thought to be mesothelioma. The higher range reflects the mesothelioma rate if one assumes that the incidence during the earlier years was actually twice that reflected by government statistics.

Historical Asbestos Exposure Sites

Big Tex - Libby Vermiculite Recipient

The Big Tex Grain site was one of the nearly 700 sites to which W.R. Grace shipped vermiculite mined from their Montana mine. Between 1961 and 1989, Big Tex took delivery of 1,094 shipments of vermiculite from the mine, totaling 103,889 tons of the contaminated mineral. While there is no report at the EPA Asbestos reports site, if the recommendations and information are similar to other sites evaluated by the EPA then those most at risk are those who worked at Big Tex Grain, especially those who worked expanding vermiculite. Other jobs at Big Tex that would have released asbestos dust include unloading vermiculite from the truck and moving unexpanded vermiculite(waste rock).

Anyone who worked at the site may have been exposed to asbestos. Those who lived with anyone working at the site may also have been exposed. In addition, anyone living within a mile of the Big Tex site while it was in operation may have been exposed to high levels of asbestos in the air. There have also been reports that waste rock from other vermiculite processing plants were handed out to the community for use in paving, gardening and other uses, and that children may have played in piles of waste rock from the processing plants. While there is no evidence that this was the case in San Antonio, it may have been. If you recall playing in piles of rock or taking home rock from Big Tex Grain, you may have been exposed to asbestos and should be evaluated by a medical professional.

Construction Sites

More than half of the buildings currently standing in San Antonio were built between 1939 and 1979, the forty years when asbestos was most widely used in the construction industry. In addition, older buildings may have been renovated during those years, and most likely were renovated with asbestos containing materials and supplies. The following is a list of construction sites where asbestos is known to have been used.

• County Buildings
• Bexar County Courthouse
• Bexar County Jail
• Cities Public Service
• Rilling Road Sewage Treatment Plant

Hospitals and Medical Facilities

• Baptist Hospital
• Bexar County Hospital
• Community Hospital
• Fort Sam Houston Hospital
• Grace Lutheran Hospital
• Methodist Hospital
• Metropolitan Humana Hospital
• San Antonio State Chest Hospital
• San Antonio State Hospital
• Santa Rosa Children's Hospital
• Southwest Research Complex
• St. Lukes Hospital
• University Of Texas Medical Center

Office Buildings

• Century Building
• City Office Complex
• City Water Board Office Building
• Crossroads Building
• Express Publishing Building
• H.B. Zachry Office Building
• Luby's Cafeteria Headquaters
• NBC Building
• Sears, Roebuck Building
• Southwestern Bell Building(s)
• Tower Of Americas Building
• Usaa Building
• USAA Insurance Building
• Vallejo Petroleum Company Office Building

Military Bases

There are also a number of military bases in and around San Antonio where asbestos was used in construction of base housing and other buildings, as well as in machinery and equipment. If you were stationed at or worked on base at any of the following military installations, you may have been exposed to asbestos and be at risk of developing mesothelioma, asbestosis or other asbestos related diseases.

• Brooks Air Force Base
• Camp Bullis Army Base
• Fort Sam Houston Army Base
• Kelly Air Force Base
• Lackland Air Force Base Hospital
• Randolph Air Force Base

Refineries, Manufacturing and Food Processing Plants

While the highest concentration of workers affected by asbestos worked in construction, shipbuilding or insulation, many factory and plant workers were exposed to asbestos in the equipment and machinery with which they worked. Oil refineries, chemical plants, food processing plants and many manufacturing plants depending on superheated pipelines wrapped in insulation, or on machinery that was fitted with asbestos containing packings and gaskets. Factory, plant and refinery workers who worked with and around machinery and equipment with asbestos fittings and gaskets may have been exposed to asbestos when machinery was serviced and maintained. The listing below is a listing of San Antonio factories, plants and refineries where workers were exposed to elevated levels of asbestos.

• ABC Linen Plant
• City Water Treatment Plant
• Coca-Cola Plant
• Fredericks Air Conditioning Plant
• Frito-Lay Plant
• Gaylord Box Company
• Gebhardt Mexican Food Plant
Judson Candy Plant
• Lackland Barrages
• Lone Star Brewery
• Mission Petroleum / Diamond Plant
• Mission Provision Company
• Pace Picante Plant
• Pearl Brewery
• Post Office Drycleaners
• San Antonio Linen Company
• Sunshine Laundry & Dry Cleaner
• Swift Meat Packing Plant
• Texas Pharmaceuticals Plant

Power Plants

The production of electricity and power generates a great deal of heat. The heat is generally carried off by miles of water pipes. The insulation around the pipes and around furnaces and generators was nearly always asbestos, because it is the most efficient and least heat and electricity conductive material known. Some of the power plants operating in the San Antonio area include:

• Braunig Lake Power Plant
• Calaveras Power Plant
• Cementville Power Plant
• Central Energy Plant
• Holly Street Powerhouse
• Leon Creek Power Plant
• Leon Creek Powerhouse
• Leon Creek Steam Plant
• Mission Road Power Plant
• Northside Power Plant
• O.W. Summers Power Plant
• O.W. Summers Steam Plant
• San Antonio Power & Light
• San Antonio Public Utility Plant
• Texas Power & Light
• TU Electric Power Plant
• Tuttle Creek Power Plant
• V.H. Braunig Power Plant
• W.B. Tuttle Power Plant Unit #4

Schools and Universities

In the name of safety, most schools and school buildings constructed before 1979 were built using asbestos containing materials. The intent was to protect children, students, teachers and others from the hazards of fire. Unfortunately, because the hazards of asbestos were so well concealed, those same schools now present a risk of exposing our children and students to the specter of mesothelioma. Among the schools and school buildings known to contain asbestos in San Antonio are:

• Alamo Heights High School
• Bexar County Teaching Hospital
• Fox Technical School
• Hawthorne Junior High School
• Incarnate Word College
• John Jay High School
• John Kennedy High School
• John Marshall High School
• Lackland Base Elementary School
• San Antonio College
• San Antonio School District
• St. Mary's University
• Trinity University
• University Of Texas
• U. Texas - Science Building
• University Of Texas At San Antonio
• University Of Texas Dental School
• University of Texas Health Science Center
• University Of Texas Health Sciences
• University Of Texas Medical Laboratory
• University Of Texas School Of Nursing

Existing Asbestos Exposure Hazards

Located at 354 Blue Star Street, San Antonio, the Big Tex Grain site is currently under examination for remediation. It is not listed among the EPA's Phase I sites for asbestos remediation, but the city of San Antonio coupled with the developer and owner of the land have pressured the EPA to complete testing and assist in the development of a remediation plan, which is scheduled for completion by July 2008. According to the EPA findings, the majority of the contamination is within a fifteen to twenty feet of Building #10, which was used to expand asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from the W.R. Grace mine in Libby, Montana.

In addition, anyone who works in renovation or demolition of older buildings may be at risk of exposure to asbestos. Plumbers, HVAC technicians, electricians and contractors whose jobs may require them to strip insulation from old pipes and wires, or take down old walls or any other tasks that may disturb materials that contain asbestos are especially at risk when working in older buildings and structures. Firefighters and emergency rescue workers may also be at risk when responding to emergencies in older buildings, and the demolition of older buildings without using proper precautions may put the entire community at risk.

As recently as 2001, it was reported that more than half of all asbestos removals were done illegally, without taking proper precautions. If you have worked in contracting, renovations or demolition in older buildings and you were not provided with appropriate safety equipment and training in removing asbestos, your employer may have broken the law, and you may be at risk of developing mesothelioma or asbestosis.

Asbestos in the News

San Antonio residents have been waiting three years to hear the results of testing at the old Big Tex Grain site. Most recently, a hike and bike trail was built along a fence line that borders land that is believe to be asbestos tainted. The EPA says that there is little danger, and that if asbestos is discovered, remediation will simply be a matter of removing the tainted dirt and replacing it with untainted dirt.

Treatment Centers

San Antonio Cancer Institute
2040 Babcock Road, Suite 201, San Antonio, Texas 78229
Tel: (210) 562-5286

San Antonio Cancer Institute, San Antonio, TX
Patient Information: (210) 616-5590
Clinical Trial Information: (210) 616-5798 - Stephanie Hodges, RN

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