Asbestos in Colorado
ranking in U.S. for mesothelioma & asbestosis deaths
While Colorado's naturally rocky, mountainous landscape hosts many deposits of naturally occurring asbestos, most of the state's asbestos threats were industrial jobsites. Work settings such as factories, power plants, refineries and mines were among the state's major asbestos exposure threats.
Industrial sites such as Conoco Oil Refinery, Oxnard Construction Company and Hudson Energy Company relied heavily on asbestos products until the 1980s. Asbestos insulation was a common component of these plants, which utilized the fibers to protect against fires caused by overheated machinery. Although asbestos helped reduce the risk of fire, it posed its own set of health risks to employees who handled the fibers.
If disturbed, the naturally occurring asbestos in Colorado also can cause illnesses such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. The Calumet Mine, Hecla No. 2 Mine and the CF&I Company Mine were all located on amphibole deposits, while mines such as the Dolores Co. Falcon Mine and the Iron King Mine in the Tomichi District were home to naturally occurring tremolite asbestos. None of these mines produced asbestos, but the mineral may have been disturbed during mining of the primary mineral.
Treatment Centers in Colorado
University of Colorado Cancer Centerview more
Mesothelioma and Asbestosis Deaths, 1999-2008
- 268mesothelioma deaths in Colorado
- 43asbestosis deaths in Colorado
- 311total mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths
Occupations at Risk
Factory and plant workers in Colorado faced numerous occupational asbestos hazards. Some workers directly handled asbestos when manufacturing products such as roofing compounds. Other employees may have been exposed to asbestos when repairing high-heat machinery that relied on asbestos as insulation.
Colorado's mining industry also placed workers at risk for inhaling asbestos. Miners may have inhaled asbestos while extracting iron, limestone, gold, coal or other natural resources from the ground. Asbestiform minerals such as ferrian winchite or asbestiform tremolite from Colorado's Salt Creek vermiculite deposits were an additional health risk for miners.
Jobsites and Environmental Areas at Risk
Workers at Colorado-based companies such as the Centel Corporation, Schmidt Incinerators and Utilicorp may now face elevated risks of developing mesothelioma. Other industrial companies who used asbestos at their Colorado jobsites include:
- Colorado Springs Public Utilities
- Hensel Phelps Construction Company
- Poole Construction Company
- Drive Train Industries
- Nixon Power Plant
Several types of asbestos and asbestiform minerals have been found in Colorado soil, including the Caribou Mine and the Monarch Occurrence in Boulder. Additional areas where asbestos was present include:
- Cree Camp
- Milliken Occurrence, La Plata District
- Sedalia Copper Mine
- Sloan Diatremes
- Snowy Range Mine
Western Minerals Company Plant
Between 1867 and 1990, Western Minerals Company Plant in Denver, Colorado processed vermiculite ore for use in industrial applications. Some of the vermiculite received at the Western Minerals Plant was shipped by W.R. Grace's Libby, Montana vermiculite mine, where the ore was heavily contaminated with asbestos fibers. The Denver site processed up to 81,797 tons of this vermiculite, while three other unnamed processing plants in Florence, Lamar and Greeley processed up to 3,900 tons of Libby vermiculite.
EPA soil sampling revealed that asbestos still remains in some of the Denver site's soil, although the current owners have covered much of the soil with buildings and asphalt parking areas. The EPA determined that the site, which is now home to the Minnesota Corn Processors facility, is free from air contamination, yet employees during the vermiculite processing years may have been exposed to airborne asbestos.
Estes Power Plant
Estes Power Plant in Larimer County turned reclaimed river water into usable water as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Reclamation Project. When the plant was constructed in 1950, asbestos was considered to be a prime insulator for the plant's high-heat operations. As a result, many of the plant's construction materials and equipment contained the fibers, potentially exposing workers whenever walls, tiles or machinery were roughly handled or repaired. The plant's three generators may also have been insulated with asbestos.
In January 2011, the U.S. Department of the Interior requested bids from abatement companies to remove over 1,800 square feet of asbestos-contaminated plaster and 250 linear feet of chrysotile asbestos-laced HVAC duct wrap. Asbestos spray was also used on stabilizers and sheeting in the plant. The state estimated renovations to cost as much as $500,000.
Asbestos Lawsuits in Colorado
Colorado courts have presided over a number of asbestos lawsuits, including several filed against Colorado-based corporations. One such case was filed in 1986 against Harbison-Walker Refractory, one of Colorado's leading fireproof ceramic and metal product manufacturers, John Crane, Inc., a prominent mechanical company and Eagle Pitcher Technologies, as well as other national corporations. The former employees who had developed asbestos-related diseases after asbestos exposure at these worksites were awarded injury compensation.\
The Adams-Arapahoe School District in Colorado also filed a lawsuit against several asbestos product manufacturers after they were forced to remove the asbestos-contaminated construction materials from their public schools. They were originally awarded compensation for their abatement costs, but the companies, which included GAF Corporation, United States Gypsum Company and Armstrong World Industries, appealed the ruling and overturned the verdict in the United States Court of Appeals.
-
05/24/2012 -
One of the biggest asbestos-abatement jobs ever done in Buffalo, New York, is being handled now by a local company with a history of asbestos-related ..
-
05/23/2012 -
A new class of anti-cancer drugs is nearing the clinical trial phase and may eventually be available for treatment of aggressive diseases like pancrea ..
-
05/23/2012 -
School districts all across America have been wrestling in recent years with the task of removing and disposing of toxic asbestos from older buildings ..
© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Thursday, February 16th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
