Colorado Asbestos Exposure

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Workers who were employed at Conoco, Ultramar-Diamond and various other power plants throughout the state of Colorado suffered the highest levels of asbestos exposure. Geographically, these companies were located primarily in Denver, Aspen, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Grand Junction and Vail.
Although these areas are the most well-known sites for asbestos exposure, any industry in which heat or corrosive chemicals posed a danger, were likely to use asbestos-containing materials. Individuals exposed to asbestos have a heightened risk of developing mesothelioma disease.
Asbestos can also be found in the ground throughout Colorado, whether it be naturally occurring or as a result of pollution.

Colorado Cities where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

Provided below is a list of cities in the state of Colorado where asbestos jobsites are known to have been located. If you worked at any of these companies and/or jobsites in Colorado 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.

Sources of Asbestos Exposure

The Rocky Mountain Front contains a high amount of naturally-occurring asbestos, such as fibrous amphiboles. The San Juan Mountains contain at least two amphibole deposits in the southwestern corner of the state. Unfortunately, these locations represent only a small percentage of the areas in which asbestos can be found due to the vast amounts of asbestos that have been left behind by abandoned military bases and industrial sites, resulting in an increased threat of developing an asbestos related illness such as mesothelioma.
This has posed a serious threat to growing residential neighborhoods, which have begun to spread along the eastern slope of the Rockies near Denver.
Although inspectors from the Colorado State Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) are required to be present at any work site where asbestos is a concern prior to the start of work, this is not always the case.
In one instance, contractors started to excavate a house in the Lowry area near an old Air Force Base which had been noted three years earlier as a possible asbestos hazard. Abatement protocol was not followed, and workers uncovered a significant amount of asbestos, exposing them to airborne asbestos fibers known to cause mesothelioma cancer and asbestosis.
Former farming and mining communities have also been victims of asbestos related issues, such as the case in Leadville. The Black Cloud mine, once the center of a booming industry, has been vacant for nearly forty years and continues to pose an asbestos threat. The company that owns the property is under a court order to clean up the site, but has failed to do so, most likely due to the high cost.

The Colorado Asbestos Control Act

In 2001, The Colorado Asbestos Control Act was enacted for a four-year period in order to provide regulation of the certification of all asbestos contractors and workers. This Act resulted in especially high costs of asbestos abatement within the state, as well as high licensing and annual certification fees.

Other Colorado Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

If someone you know has ever worked at one of the Jobsites 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.

Alamosa

  • Alamosa Community Hospital
  • Alamosa Power Plant
  • Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company
  • Four Corners Power Plant
  • Public Service Company of Colorado

Arapahoe

  • Arapahoe Power Plant

Brighton

  • Great Western Sugar Company
  • Greenleaf Wholesale Florist
  • Kitayama Bros Greenhouse
  • Kitayama Brothers
  • Kuner Pickle Company

Brush

  • Beet Sugar Factory
  • Great Western Sugar Company
  • Pawnee Power Plant
  • Public Service Company of Colorado
  • Xcel Energy

Canon City

  • Arkansas Valley Railway Light and Power Company
  • Centel Corporation
  • Clark Generating
  • Peata Verde Silver Mining Company
  • Southern Colorado Power Company
  • Utilicorp United Inc
  • West Plains Energy

Commerce City

  • Asamera Oil Usa
  • Conoco Oil Refinery
  • Continental Oil Company
  • Martin-Marietta
  • Rocky Mountain Arsenal
  • Rocky Mountain Service, Inc.
  • Schmidt Incinerators Company
  • Shell Chemical
  • Ultramar Diamond Colorado

Craig

  • Colorado-Ute Electric Association, Inc
  • Craig Power Station
  • Craig Station
  • Hudson Energy Company
  • Tri State Craig Station
  • Tri State Gandt Association
  • Tri-State Generation and Transmission

Fort Morgan

  • Great Western Sugar Company
  • Madre Tierra Sugar
  • Morgan County Construction Company
  • Western Sugar Company

Fruita

  • American Gilsonite/Chevron
  • Fruita Refinery
  • Gary Refining Company
  • Landmark Petroleum
  • Louisiana Pacific
  • Mesa Insulation
  • Standard Oil Refinery

Hayden

  • Hayden Power Plant

Lakewood

  • AMC Research Center
  • AT&T
  • Best Western Denver West
  • Duke Shepard Homes
  • Federal Correctional Institute
  • Feeney Supply Company

Leadville

  • Day Mines, Inc.
  • Iron Silver Mining Company
  • Leadville Gas and Electric Company
  • Leadville Light and Power Company
  • Twin Lakes Power Plant
  • Yak Mining and Milling and Tunnel Company

Longmont

  • Great Western Sugar Company
  • Longmont Beet Sugar Company
  • Western Foundries

Mesa County

  • Cameo Power Plant

Minnequa

  • Colorado Fuel & Iron Corporation
  • Crane Company

Nucla

  • Nucla Power Station

Platteville

  • Fort Saint Vrain Power Plant
  • Fort St. Vrain Generating Station
  • Public Service of Colorado
  • Xcel Energy

Rocky Flats

  • Aec/Erda
  • Dow Chemical Company
  • Rocky Flats Plant
  • United States Atomic Energy Commission

Rocky Ford

  • American Beet Sugar Company
  • American Crystal Sugar Company
  • Oxnard Construction Company
  • Rocky Ford Power Plant
  • Southern Colorado Power Company
  • Utilicorp United Inc

Trinidad

  • Electrical Installation Company
  • Hawkins & Davis Crosswell Barnett Machine Company
  • Trinidad Electric Light Heat and Power Company
  • Trinidad Electric Railroad Company
  • Trinidad Electric Transmission Railway and Gas Company
  • Trinidad Municipal Power & Light Dept.
  • Trinidad Power Plant
  • Trinidad Sheetmetal

Valmont

  • Public Service Company of Colorado
  • Republic Construction Company
  • Valmont Station

Windsor

  • Eastman Kodak Company
  • Great Western Sugar Company
  • Owens Corning Fiberglas

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