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P.G.E. Power Plant

Originally founded in 1888 by Parker F. Morey and Edward L. Eastham as the Willamette Falls Electric Company, Portland General Electric (PGE) serves, according to their own website, over 1.5 million customers. They provide power to over 52 cities in Oregon and their coverage extends over 4,000 square miles. Their original power producer was a hydroelectric generator set in place at Willamette Falls near Portland. The company's name changed several times over a number of years and finally became known as PGE in 1948, after reorganization.

Beginning in the 1960s, there have been several attempts made by different people to change PGE into a Public Utility District. All of them have been unsuccessful except one in 1999. At one time, PGE was owned by the Enron Corporation, who purchased the company in 1997. After the Enron bankruptcy scandal, which cost many workers the majority of their 401(K)s, PGE became a private company. As of May of 2006 they have conducted business as a locally owned and operated power distributor and their stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. They produce electricity with the use of water power and by burning coal and natural gas.

Most power plants built before the mid 1970s are known to have used asbestos as an insulator. Power plants run a high risk of fire and asbestos was an excellent choice due to its ability to resist heat and flames. It also doesn't conduct electricity and has the ability to deaden sound. Asbestos was cheap and easy to get, found in natural deposits all over the world. Asbestos was used extensively in many different industries beginning in the mid 1800s, such as paper mills, ship building and construction.

There were miles of piping and conduits that had asbestos-containing products sprayed on them to help insulate and hold in heat. It was also placed in turbines, generators and boilers. Actually, there were an estimated 3,000 products that used asbestos as a main ingredient. Most of them had nothing to do, directly, with generating power, but can be found in power plants anyways. Floor and ceiling tiles, cement blocks and the mortar used to hold them together and drywall had asbestos used in their manufacture to raise their fire rating and make them stronger. Some of the actual components used to construct the building had asbestos materials sprayed on them.

Unfortunately, this miracle mineral' has a very dark side. Asbestos is known to be a friable substance, meaning that it breaks apart and crumbles easily, especially as it ages. When chunks break off from the main, a dust is created that carries millions of microscopic asbestos fibers. These fibers are inhaled and swallowed by anyone in the area who isn't wearing safety gear. Once they enter the body, they cause considerable and irreparable harm. For instance, the fibers sit in the lungs and, over time, scratch the delicate tissues there as the lungs move with the process of breathing. When the lungs heal, a scar tissue is formed that can no longer pull the oxygen from the air. This disease is known as asbestosis and it has claimed many lives.

While asbestosis is the most common result of asbestos exposure, there is a cancer called mesothelioma that can develop, as well. The fibers can eventually make their way into the lining that covers and protects most of the vital organs in the body, called the mesothelium. Once there, they irritate and inflame the lining. Eventually, tumor masses may form which inhibit the operation of the organ. Not only do they affect the organ they are near, but they also metastasize quickly and can spread cancer to many other parts of the body. There is no cure for either asbestosis or mesothelioma and most treatment options aren't incredibly affective. The sad fact is that once an individual has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, their average lifespan is anywhere from six to eighteen months. Both of these diseases may take years to develop, anywhere from fifteen to twenty. Early detection is the biggest factor in the effectiveness of treatment.

As the machines in the power plant were in operation, asbestos dust would often shake free and become airborne. Once the fibers are loose from the main mass, it takes the slightest disturbance for them to begin floating around. Workers, themselves, would often cause their work area to become infected, especially the operators who cut, sanded or installed the asbestos laden materials.

Asbestos can still be found in many power plants today. The Environmental Protection Agency has set up rules and regulations to help protect workers, and the public, from asbestos exposure. While abatement is possible, it's very, very expensive and often unnecessary. Many power plants have been working to contain the problem. Most of the time this involves a method of encapsulation, where the asbestos containing insulation is covered with a resin and an epoxy meant to keep the asbestos fiber locked in place.

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