Alaska Asbestos Exposure

Alaska is home to many volcanoes and earthquakes. This also makes it a place where asbestos commonly occurs in nature. Asbestos, which causes asbestos cancer, is found throughout the state, including:

• Four spots in the Panhandle region, including two around Juneau and Ketchikan, populated areas in this mostly low-population density state
• Along the Yukon River in the Eastern central part of the state
• In and around Kubuk Valley National Park
• The peninsula tip separating Bristol Bay from Kuskokwim Bay
• The area around Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, within the area defined by State Routes 1, 2, and 3.

Glennallen, Alaska, located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park area of the state, had a building that had crumbling asbestos in it. Although the public was presumably notified of the danger, the building was broken into four times by vandals. The town responded by removing, or abating, the asbestos and demolishing the building in order to protect trespassers from mesothelioma. The Department of Fish and Game in Alaska requested state funding for this cleanup, rather than the expected Alaska State Department of Health or Environmental Quality. If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos you should seek medical attention from mesothelioma clinics in your area.

Alaska Cities where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

Provided below is a list of cities in the state of Alaska where asbestos jobsites are known to have been located. If you worked at any of these companies and/or jobsites in Alaska there is a possibility that you may have been exposed to harmful asbestos which is known to cause mesothelioma. Click on any link to view a complete list of jobsites in that city.

• Anchorage
• Fairbanks

• Kenai

Industries and Community Sites

Several industrial and community sites in Alaska have had asbestos issues. They include:

• Pulp mills
• Marine repair facilities
• Seafood processing plants
• Power generation plants
• The facilities of four oil companies’, including ARCO, Tesoro and Williams Alaska Petroleum
• Schools

A 2001 EPA news release relates that the manager of Great Pacific Seafoods, Inc. inappropriately removed asbestos from a facility prior to selling it to the Alaska DOT, and by doing so broke laws in the Clean Air Act. The company paid a $500,000 fine, and the manager was served with a one-year prison sentence and a $100,000 fine.
Alaska laws that deal with asbestos are found in Alaska Statues, Title 18, Chapter 31. They stipulate that public school officials must have buildings inspected and keep records of such, then notify affected parties if asbestos is present, and arrange for as well as monitor abatement projects. A mesothelioma lawyer can provide more information regarding these laws.

Other Alaska Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

If someone you know has ever worked at one of these Alaska work sites listed below, they may have been exposed to high levels of asbestos. Asbestos exposure at any one of these Jobsites could put them at risk for developing one of the following asbestos related diseases: malignant mesothelioma (a terminal cancer), asbestos related lung cancer, asbestosis or pleural mesothelioma.

Adak

• United States Naval Air Facilities

Berners Bay

• Jualin Mines Company

Bernice Lake

• Bernice Lake Gas Turbine
• General Electric - Turbine

Bethel

• Northern Consolidated Hangar

Briar

• Dierks Forests

Chatham

• New England Fish Company

Clear

• Mallow Construction Company

College

• University of Alaska

Dawson City Klondike

• E C Andrews

Drift River

• Ballasting Area
• Process Piping
• Procur Piping

El Dorado

• American Oil Company

Fort Greeley

• Alaska Insulation

Fort Richardson

• Fort Richardson
• Industsrial Refrigeration & Association

Fort Wainwright

• Fort Wainnright

Galena

• Galena Radar Base

Helena

• Helena Gas and Electric Company

Hope

• Hope Brick Works

Initarod

• Yukon Gold Company

Jonesburg

• Arkansas Glass Container Corporation

Jonnesville

• Evans Jones Coal Company

Juneau

• Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company
• Jualin Mines Company
• Juneau Hospital

Ketchikan

• Ac & S Inc
• Ketchikan Hospital
• Ketchikan Pulp
• Ketchikan Pulp and Paper Corp
• Ketchikan Pulp Company
• Ketchikan Pulp Mill
• Ketchikan Spruce Mills

Kodiak

• Kodiak Naval Station
• Siems Drake Puget Sound
• United States Submarine Base
• Us Naval Air Base

Madison

• A P De Nange Lumber