Asbestos In Your Area

Asbestos in the State of Kansas

Asbestos Exposure in Kansas

Kansas has a lower number of victims contracting an illness associated with asbestos than national averages. Predominantly an agricultural state, there were only three small asbestos mines that operated in the state, and they operated sporadically. However, asbestos was so widely used before the information came out about how dangerous it is, that many workers were still exposed and sometimes suffer deadly results.

Asbestos is very common mineral found all over the world. It is fireproof, won't carry and electrical current, is cheap and easy to find and can be used with and put into a wide variety of materials. The problem is that the thin fibers that make up asbestos can break free from the main mass. Once they become airborne they tend to float, allowing anybody passing to inhale or swallow them. Asbestosis and mesothelioma are the two most common side effects of asbestos exposure and are described, briefly, a little farther down.

At-Risk Occupations and Locations in Kansas

Miners of asbestos are typically the hardest hit. The mine shaft usually had very poor ventilation and the thin fibers that come from asbestos would float for some time. Even if the miners wore some form of protection over their mouth and nose, they still inhaled and swallowed a great deal. Worse yet, the fibers would actually cote their clothing and they would take this stuff home with them, exposing their wives and families to this deadly mineral.

Oil refineries were also a hotspot for asbestos. Asbestos insulation was used to wrap pipes and insulate tanks. Fire retardant and flame resistant suits were even made from asbestos. The oil refineries were located all around the estate in cities like Coffeyville, El Dorado, Independence and, of course, Kansas City. In all it looks as if about nine different cities were home to oil refineries where asbestos was prevalent. Several of the power stations in Kansas, including the Wolf Creek Nuclear power plant in Burlington, have shown evidence of excess levels of asbestos.

The current industry that shows the highest risk for asbestos exposure is the construction industry. There were hundreds, if not thousands of building in Kansas and across the country that used asbestos insulation. Government buildings, hospitals, schools, nowhere is safe from possible Asbestos exposure. Whenever these building need to be renovated or torn down, there are extensive measures that must be taken to make sure that asbestos is not released into the air. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that asbestos inspections be done before any project is started.

Asbestos-Related Deaths in Kansas

The public furor over asbestos and asbestos exposure has fallen out of the public spotlight since its peak in the late 1990's, but asbestos related lawsuits, and deaths, are still happening. Between 1979 and 1999 there were an estimated total of 360 deaths related to asbestos in Kansas. Asbestosis, which is a scarring of the lungs from inhaling asbestos fibers, accounted for 95 of the 360 fatalities. The other 265 deaths were attributed to mesothelioma. This is an incredibly malignant cancer that develops in the lining that separates and protects the major organs in the chest and stomach. Once this kind of cancer develops, it spreads quickly. The average lifespan of a victim of mesothelioma is eighteen months. Asbestosis, on the other hand, is not malignant and can often be treated, which is why fewer fatalities are linked to asbestosis.

Experts estimate that the number of fatalities that are related to asbestos will continue to grow over the next few years. Injury from asbestos exposure can take a long time to appear, which is why there are growing numbers of asbestos related medical cases even twenty years after safety precautions began to be implemented. Experts further estimate that these numbers will peak around 2015 and then begin to taper off.

Legal Resources for Kansas Residents

There is a statute of limitations for filing asbestos claims in Kansas, which begins on the date of discovery and runs for two years. The plaintiff must also be able to show, though, that the asbestos exposure occurred sometime within the preceding ten years. Kansas does allow the victim to name more than one defendant in the case, instead of the most recent exposure work site, as in most states.

Although there are one or two personal injury suits still occurring in Kansas, for the most part, these suits are settled out of court. Most of the recent trial news regarding asbestos has been between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a city health department and various developers and construction companies. The EPA is responsible for making sure that work sites are asbestos free, especially in renovations of older buildings. The can file charges against renovators for improperly handling asbestos and exposing their employees and possibly the public to airborne asbestos fibers.

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