Nevada Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Risks

While there is no naturally-occurring asbestos in Nevada, the state does have a large number of power generation plants where workers may have been exposed to friable asbestos.

General asbestos exposure risks are present in Nevada in buildings constructed between the 1940s and 1980s. These structures may have been built using some asbestos-containing materials. This risk extends to public, commercial, and residential buildings.

At Risk Occupations and Locations in Nevada

In power plants, asbestos was used as an insulator against electrical current and heat, and as a flame retardant and fireproofing material. Electrical cloth, panel and wiring partitions and insulation were all made using asbestos. Many construction materials, such as plaster, drywall, and cement, which were used in constructing the facilities themselves, also contained asbestos fibers.

Asbestos-containing construction materials were widely used up until the mid-1980s. Las Vegas, the most densely-populated region in Nevada, has few old buildings. However, any built prior to the mid-1980s may contain some asbestos materials. This means exposure risks for the workers who constructed the buildings, and perhaps for the maintenance and custodial workers who work in the buildings today.

Foreland oil refinery in Tonopah may also present an occupational asbestos hazard. According to the Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, employees in the oil industry are at risk of asbestos exposure. The volatility of petroleum products means a high-risk fire hazard, meaning that large amounts of asbestos are likely to have been used in the construction of oil refineries.

Known jobsites and locations where asbestos exposure took place in Nevada include:

• The Harry Allen Station (Apex)
• The Beowave Power Plant
• The Empire Farms Power Plant
• Mohave (Laughlin)
• Reid Gardner Station (Moapa)
• Valmy Generating Station (North Valmy)
• Dixie Valley Power Plant, Soda Lake I and II (Fallon)
• Brady Power Plant, Desert Peak Power Plant (Fernley)
• Clark Station, Sunrise Station (Las Vegas)
• Caithness Power Plant, Steamboat Power Plant (Reno)
• Foreland Refining (Tonopah)
• Pinon Pine Power Project, Tracy Generating Station (Tracy-Clark)
• Wabuska and Fort Churchill Generating Station (Yerington)

If you or someone you know worked or works in these locations, regular check-ups for signs of asbestos-related disease may be a good idea for personal health and legal reasons. Asbestos-related diseases - particularly mesothelioma - have a long latency period, and even if your jobsite has been cleaned up and asbestos has been removed, exposure may have occurred prior to the abatement.

This may not be a complete list as there may be other Nevada jobsites that contain asbestos that have not yet been reported.

Jobsites with Known Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos Related Deaths in Nevada

Data from the Center of Health Statistics indicate that the most at-risk occupations for asbestos exposure existing in power plants are electricians, boilermakers, pipefitters, and repair and maintenance workers. Mesothelioma is the cause of death for more than 3 percent of power plant workers who die of work-related causes. The danger was further demonstrated in a 2003 study carried out by doctors in Puerto Rico, in which 13 percent of chest x-rays taken of power plant employees showed abnormal results.

Between 1979 and 1999, 154 Nevada residents died from asbestos-related causes, giving a mortality rate of approximately 0.1%. The majority of deaths resulted from mesothelioma. Most deaths were in the Clark County and Las Vegas Metropolitan area.

Legal Resources for Nevada Residents

Nevada has been home to few high-profile cases involving mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases, ranking 31st in the nation for the number of mesothelioma cases.

One important and high-profile case involved a Nevada man who had worked for Nevada Power of Las Vegas between 1957 and 1964. During this time, the man worked at several of the company's power stations, as a plant operator. The plaintiff was involved in the supervision of plant shutdowns, in which repairs and maintenance of boilers was a common duty. The boilers contained asbestos, and the case was settled at a value of more than $2 million.

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