Delaware & Asbestos - Occupations, Jobsites & Dupont

Asbestos in Delaware

Delaware's asbestos hazards are mainly related to construction and manufacturing industries. The DuPont Chemical was responsible for many asbestos-related cases in Delaware. Workers in chemical plants, factories and energy stations faced the greatest risk of exposure.

Written by Michelle Whitmer | Scientifically Reviewed By Arti Shukla, Ph.D. | Edited By Walter Pacheco | Last Update: July 16, 2024

Quick Facts About Asbestos in Delaware

Ranking in Deaths:
44th
Mesothelioma Deaths:
225
Asbestosis Deaths:
13
Total Deaths:
238

Asbestos Exposure in Delaware

Delaware’s only naturally occurring asbestos deposit is in New Castle County. The Mount Cuba Serpentine body contains asbestos in talc and magnesite veins. While soda spar mining occurred at the Mount Cuba tract, mining of toxic asbestos did not happen.

Asbestos Locations in Delaware

Chemical plants
Energy stations
Factories
Steelworks

A small vermiculite processing plant in Delmar handled asbestos-contaminated products. Additionally, construction companies used asbestos materials until the 1980s. Asbestos may still remain in historic buildings such as the Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

Learn About Asbestos Exposure in Other States

Occupations at Risk in Delaware

Delaware had a limited industrial economy. But workers in chemical plants and construction sites risked asbestos exposure.

Chemical Plant Workers: Operators and machinery repair specialists often handled asbestos-containing materials in the factory’s boiler rooms, workspaces and production lines.
Construction Workers: Asbestos exposure likely occurred to those who renovated older historic buildings. Houses, churches and mansions built before the 1980s may have exposed workers.

State laws now prescribe safety measures to prevent current workers from inhaling asbestos. But former workers have an elevated risk of asbestos exposure.

Job Sites with Known Exposure

Delaware had many chemical manufacturers. These produced chlorine, polyethylene resins, engine oil additives and thermoplastics. The plants that developed these products often relied on asbestos insulation for their machinery. Safety suits to protect workers against chemical exposure likely contained asbestos fibers.

Chemical plants in Delaware where asbestos exposure may have occurred:

Allied Chemical
Croda Inc.
DuPont Chemical
Helix Associates Inc.
Atlas Chemical Industries
Dow Chemical
General Chemical Company
Metachem (Standard Chlorine of Delaware)

Evraz Claymont Steel Holdings is another manufacturing site where asbestos use may have placed workers at risk for mesothelioma. Steelworks often used asbestos products to insulate their equipment.

A Delmar vermiculite processing facility received more than 314 tons of asbestos-contaminated ore from the W.R. Grace mine in Libby, Montana. This facility operated between 1943 and 1993 and processed 16 shipments from Libby.

DuPont Chemical

DuPont Chemical contributed to asbestos exposure in Delaware. The company built their DuPont Building in downtown Wilmington in 1905. It built a nylon plant in Seaford in 1939. The nylon plant employed as many as 1,300 workers. Workers at the company’s other facilities may also have been exposed to asbestos.

The company faced many legal cases for their negligent asbestos use. Executives knew about the dangers of asbestos in the 1930s. They ignored the warnings and still bought asbestos materials. Workers were not told about the asbestos exposure risk.

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