Resources: Doctor Match | Mesothelioma Clinical Trials | Blog
Call Us for More Information
800.615.2270

Asbestos in Wisconsin

14th

ranking in U.S. for mesothelioma & asbestosis deaths

Wisconsin ranks high for asbestos-related diseases, with more than 60 deaths per year caused by mesothelioma. Most of the state's asbestos-related deaths occur in and around Milwaukee because of the city's history of paper manufacturing and metal works, industries which commonly used asbestos in factory insulation. Additional cities with a significant amount of mesothelioma diagnoses include Kenosha, Waukesha, Madison and Green Bay, all current or former sites of paper mills.

Consumers in Wisconsin were exposed to asbestos as early as the 1890s when Malleable Iron Range Company began manufacturing heating appliances, such as coal-wood burning furnaces and Monarch asbestos lined stoves. In the 1950s Hankscraft Company sold baby bottle warmers lined with the mineral. Asbestos for industrial and consumer use continued in Wisconsin until the late 1970s, but buildings erected prior to the 1980s may still contain asbestos materials. Once these materials are disturbed and the fibers become airborne, those nearby are at an elevated risk of developing serious health problems.

Treatment Centers in this State

Click for Assistance

Mesothelioma and Asbestosis Deaths, 1999-2008

  • 629
    mesothelioma deaths in Wisconsin
  • 79
    asbestosis deaths in Wisconsin
  • 708
    total mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths

Occupations at Risk

power plant Asbestos Exposure

Wisconsin residents who worked in metal works, vermiculite processing facilities and paper mills are at highest risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, including asbestosis and lung cancer. Individuals who worked for companies such as Koos and W.R. Grace regularly came in contact with asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore. Metal works facilities such as Ladish heralded asbestos for its resilience and fire resistance, using the mineral to insulate high-heat machinery.

Similarly, Wisconsin's historic paper industry used asbestos to insulate machinery and help in drying processes, exposing workers to asbestos as far back as the late 19th century. Several paper producers made a significant impact on the state's job market and public health, with companies like Kimberly-Clark, Charmin and Georgia-Pacific leading the industry. By the 1940s, it was the state's third largest industry, and today Wisconsin remains one of the largest paper producers in the country. The century-old success exposed workers and the public to dangerous levels of asbestos for decades.

Jobsites with Known Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos Refineries
Koos, Inc.
Western Mineral Products

Glass Makers
Foster-Forbes Glass Company
Owens-Illinois, Inc.

Metal Works
American Can Company
Ladish Company
Malleable Iron Range (Monarch)

Paper Products Manufacturers
Badger Paper Mills, Inc.
Charmin
Fort Howard Paper Company
Fox River Paper Company
Kimberly Clark
International Paper
Peavey Paper Mills, Inc.
Riverside Paper Corporation
Scott Paper Company

Other Companies
Filter Materials, Inc.
Four Wheel Drive/Seagrave
Hankscraft
Jaeger Insulation
W.L. Spencer Manufacturing Corporation
Proctor and Gamble
R.J. Schwab and Sons
Zeigler and Johanning Grist and Sawmill
J. B. Schauble Mill & Dam/Waubeka Mill & Dam

Four Wheel Drive/Seagrave

Four Wheel Drive manufactured trucks in Clintonville and commonly used asbestos, especially in the manufacture of brakes. After several employees developed chronic coughs and sore throats, workers expressed concern about asbestos exposure at the facility and called the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to conduct a safety inspection.

The subsequent inspection in 1987 found that airborne asbestos was within the legal limit in air samples. But when NIOSH officials tested shavings from brakes in the facility, they found the brakes contained 10 to 20 percent asbestos. The NIOSH officials noted that the same type of shavings tended to accumulate near machines. This meant the particulate could be carried throughout the plant, leaving workers at risk. Officials also observed that workers did not wear protective gear to prevent such asbestos exposure.

As a result of the inspection, NIOSH began enforcing safe asbestos practices in the facility. It required the brake area be isolated from the rest of the facility to prevent the spread of asbestos particles. It also required the area be cleaned regularly to help prevent exposure to asbestos.

Koos, Inc.

Koos, Inc. processed asbestos-contaminated vermiculite in its Kenosha facility from 1960 to 1995, receiving the mineral from American Vermiculite and W.R. Grace. As in any vermiculite processing facility, employees were at high risk of being exposed to asbestos and developing asbestos-related illnesses. Asbestos-containing vermiculite also posed a danger to customers. Some vermiculite from Koos was used in fertilizer. Customers who bought vermiculite-containing fertilizer may have been exposed to asbestos while working with the product.

In 1995 Koos sold its facilities to IMC Vigaro. IMC sold the vermiculite processing equipment and instead used the buildings to package salt. Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspected the site in 2000 and 2001 to ensure that it was safe and free of asbestos debris. EPA officials found no vermiculite or asbestos on site, and soil samples were free of contaminants. Based on these EPA inspections, the site was declared safe.

Ladish Company

Ladish Company was a large metal manufacturer in Milwaukee. Its high-heat processes of casting and forging metal were nonstop, requiring as many as 200 furnaces to operate simultaneously. Furnaces and other equipment were insulated, often with asbestos materials. Heat-intensive processes continuously damaged the furnaces and surrounding insulation. As a result, masons and helpers continuously tore down and replaced the equipment. In doing so, they were exposed to concentrated amounts of asbestos dust.

Such asbestos exposure caused numerous concerns and health problems among Ladish masons and other employees. For example, mason George Zielinski developed mesothelioma nearly 40 years after he stopped working for Ladish. The company had a medical monitoring program in place for employees like Zielinski who were exposed to asbestos on the job. In 1984, however, NIOSH inspectors reviewed 11 medical records and determined the X-rays were not properly conducted. Of 11 chest X-rays, only six were readable. NIOSH concluded that the program was inadequate and would not help in detecting asbestos-related diseases.

Illegal Asbestos Removal

In 1999 three men were convicted of conspiring to break health and labor laws. Buddy Frazier, Chance Gaines and James Bragg recruited more than 20 men for an illegal asbestos removal project in Marshfield. About 12 of them were homeless men recruited from a Tennessee soup kitchen and transported to Wisconsin. The three conspirators used false social security numbers to obtain asbestos certification for the untrained workers. The recruits then improperly removed 9,000 feet of asbestos insulation without wearing protective gear. In addition to violating the Clean Air Act, abatement practices exposed the illegal workers to harmful asbestos. After pleading guilty to conspiracy, Frazier, Gaines and Bragg were sentenced to 30, 33 and 24 months in prison, respectively.

Sources:

  1. Almaguer, D. & Matte, T. (1987). Four Wheel Drive Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/1986-0524-1851.pdf
  2. Environmental Working Group (2011). Government statistics on deaths due to asbestos-related diseases. Retrieved from http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/tables/deathdetails_state.php
  3. Georgia-Pacific (2011). Green Bay Operations. Retrieved from http://www.gp.com/greenbay/
  4. Lee, P. (1985). Flaws found in X-rays of Ladish workers. The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved from http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19851120&id=hmMaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9CoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7066,10221487
  5. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (1985). HHE Report: Ladish Company. Retrieved from http://www2.cdc.gov/nioshtic-2/BuildQyr.asp?s1=wisconsin+asbestos&f1=*&Startyear=&Adv=0&terms=1&EndYear=&Limit=10000&sort=&D1=10&PageNo=1&RecNo=3&View=f&
  6. State of Wisconsin Court of Appeals (2002). Zielinski vs. A.P. Green Industries, Inc, et al. Retrieved from http://libcd.law.wisc.edu/~wb/will0092/48773d0d.pdf
  7. State of Wisconsin Court of Appeals (2008). Benzinger vs. Building Services Industrial Sales Company, et al. Retrieved from http://www.wisbar.org/res/capp/2008/2007ap000735.htm
  8. U.S. Department of Justice (1999). Three Men Sentenced to Prison for Participating in a Conspiracy to Use Homeless Men for Illegal Asbestos Removal. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/1999/January/032enr.htm
  9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2008). Strategy for Further Assessment of Vermiculite Ore Asbestos Sites. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/superfund/health/contaminants/asbestos/compendium/download/site_characterization/final_strategy_for_further_assessment_of_vermiculite_ore.pdf
  10. U.S. Government Accountability Office (2000). Koos Inc., 2000 DeKovan Avenue, Racine, Wisconsin. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/gao-09-7sp/file155.html
  11. U.S. Government Accountability Office (2001). Koos Inc., 4500 13th Court, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/gao-09-7sp/file154.html
  12. Wisconsin Department of Health Services (2010). Asbestos in Milwaukee. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/asbestos/PowerPoints/2010%20Asbestos%20Conference/Milwaukee%20City%20Asbestos%20Power%20point.pdf
  13. Wisconsin Department of Health Services (2011). Wisconsin Asbestos. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/asbestos/index.htm
  14. Ziemer, D. (2003). "Probably" is enough to prove causation. Wisconsin Law Journal. Retrieved from http://wislawjournal.com/2003/03/26/lsquoprobablyrsquo-is-enough-to-prove-causation/
  15. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=65316
  16. http://books.google.com/books?id=A7bmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=malleable+iron+range+company+asbestos+wisconsin&source=bl&ots=Bb5AXcPHnP&sig=VZrOoA7zKcsQhJNg6CRu_48EEcg&hl=en&ei=JDHFTvLaIOPj0QGm3cSdBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&sqi=2&ved=0CIEBEOgBMAg#v=onepage&q=wisconsin%2C%20sbestos&f=false
  17. http://www.gp.com/greenbay/history/broadway.html
  18. http://www.asbestosremovalinc.net/?page_id=16
  19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2011). Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2008 [Data file]. Retrieved from CDC WONDER Online Database: http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html
mesothelioma-packet
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Country:
Phone Number:
Email:
Diagnosis:
Comments:
terms of use
Mesothelioma Books
Veterans Assistance
Find Top Doctors
Asbestos Awareness Wristbands