Kentucky Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos exposure in Kentucky has taken place primarily at oil refineries, natural gas plants, power plants and the chemical industry as well as the construction sites; there are no natural outcroppings of asbestos minerals anywhere within the state.

Kentucky Cities where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

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

Construction Trades

Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were used extensively in building construction over 150 years. Such products included fireproof shingles, asbestos wallboard, acoustic tiles, flooring, insulation and ceiling texture, and there are still some 3,000 products still manufactured and sold in the U.S. containing asbestos.
Because of this, people who work in building renovation and demolition are at substantial risk of exposure to "friable" asbestos and should seek medical attention from mesothelioma clinics. Kentucky has many old and historic buildings, so it is likely that such danger will continue without action by the EPA and local health authorities.

Chemical Plants

Crocidolite, or "blue asbestos," is an exceptionally deadly form of amphibole (amphiboles are long, spear-like fibers that appear to cause more cellular damage in a shorter time than “white” chrysotile asbestos). This form of asbestos is highly resistant to caustic and corrosive chemicals, and was used at the Louisville Chemical Plant and Alcoa Aluminum.

Military Bases

Fort Campbell, which is home to the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, was constructed during the early months of World War II at a time that asbestos was commonly used in buildings and boiler rooms. Pipe-fitters and other maintenance workers and Army personnel stationed there between 1940 and 1970 are likely to have been exposed to substantial doses of asbestos.

Power Plants

A study of power plant workers in Puerto Rico recently confirmed that employees at power generation plants demonstrated that such workers ran a high risk of asbestos exposure and suffer an elevated rate of mesothelioma. Amphibole asbestos is also resistant to electrical current, and is likely to be found in such facilities.

Statistics

Between 1980 and 2000 one in 10,000 Kentuckians died from asbestos disease. Three-quarters of these were due to mesothelioma and were concentrated in the heavily urbanized Louisville region. Although asbestosis is far more common than mesothelioma, it is not always immediately fatal; it is not malignant and is highly treatable if discovered early. Mesothelioma is not curable; most victims die within 18 months of such a diagnosis at mesothelioma clinics.

Other Kentucky 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.

Brandenburg

Mathieson Chemical Corporation
Olin-Mathieson Chemical Corporation

Burgin

Dix Dam Power Plant
E. W. Brown Generating Station
Kentucky Utilities Company

Burnside

Cooper Powerhouse
East Kentucky Power Cooperative
John Sherman Cooper Station
John Sherman Copper Power Station
Power Plant

Carrollton

Arkema, Inc.
Cardinal Industrial Ins.
Carroll County High School
Dow Corning Plant
M & T Chemical, Inc
Middle School

Catlettsburg

Ashland Oil and Refining Company
Ashland Petroleum Company
Ashland Synthetic Fuels Inc
Calgon Corporation
Catlettsburg Kenova and Ceredo Water Company
Gulf Oil
Marathon Refinery Kentucky

Central City

A & G Farm Fresh Eggs Incorporated
Green River Power Plant
Kentucky Utilities Company
Tennessee Valley Authority

Danville

Britts Department Store
Centre College
Danville Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company
Danville Plaza
Kentucky State Hospital
Memorial Hospital
Palm Beach Company

Dix Dam

E. W. Brown Power Station
Kentucky Utilities Company
Westinghouse Electric Company

Drakesboro

Black Diamond Coal Company
Paradise Steam Plant
Tennessee Valley Authority

Elizabethtown

Colt Industries
Elizabethtown High School
G C Burkhead Elementary School
Hardin County Memorial Hospital
Kentucky Galvanizing Company

Flatwoods

Clarence Bailey Construction
Commercial Poultry House
Owens-Corning Glass
Rice Drywall & Painting
Russell Ferguson Building
Whitehurst Plumbing & Heating

Ford

Dale Generating Plant
Dale Generating Station
East Kentucky Power Coop
East Kentucky Rural Electric
L. M. Marcum Company

Fort Knox

EM Barracks Complex
Fort Knox
Fort Knox Hospital
General Insulation
Ireland Hospital
John Welker Company
Tank Repair Shop

Fort Thomas

Campbell Country Hospital
Highlands High School
Johnson School
Robert Johnson School
Ruth Mayer School
Veteran's Affairs Hospital

Hawesville

Big Rivers Electric Corporation
Coleman Steam Plant
Kenneth C. Coleman Power Plant
National Southwire Aluminum Company
Western Kraft Corp
Weyerhaeuser Company
Williamette Industries

Hopkinsville

Acme Mills
Commonwealth of KY Western State Hospital
Ellis Ice and Coal Company
Forbes and Brothers
Hopkinsville Sewage Treatment Plant
Jennie Stuart Hospital
Kentucky Public Service Company
R.C. Owen Lumber
Western Kentucky Insane Asylum

Jefferson

Ballard High School
Indian Trial School
Klondike Elementary School
Pleasure Ridge Vocational School