Minnesota Asbestos Exposure

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Minnesota has an abundance of jobsites at which workers were exposed to asbestos; in addition, there is at least one jobsite at which asbestos came from an unexpected source.

Minnesota Cities where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

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

Asbestos Industries

Industries at which asbestos has been a significant problem include:
  • Big Stone Lake Point
  • Hoot Lake Plant
  • Koch Petroleum
  • Marathon
  • Monticello Nuclear Power Plant
  • Prairie Island
Recently, there has been a significant increase in asbestos poisoning noted among taconite miners in the state's Iron Hills region.
Generally, asbestos is used anywhere heat or fire poses an industrial hazard, particularly at facilities constructed before 1980. Asbestos insulation has been used in pipe fittings, furnace doors and general insulation as well as the protective clothing worn by workers, such as fireproof aprons and gloves. If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos you should seek medical attention from mesothelioma clinics.
Between 1980 and 2000, 677 Minnesotans died from asbestos disease. Almost 65% of these were due to mesothelioma, despite the fact that asbestosis is far more common. Since 1997, at least sixty taconite miners from northeastern Minnesota have died from the former disease.

About The Taconite Industry

Minnesota's naturally-occurring asbestos deposits are found in the Iron Hills region, where a number iron mines were re-opened in the 1970s. Since then, as U.S. supplies of iron ore have been depleted, the industry has turned to the waste product known as taconite in order to extract what iron may be left. Much of this is contaminated with various forms of asbestos, including the deadly amphibole variety – which should not be surprising, as these forms of asbestos actually contain ferrous molecules.
Although sixty miners in this area are recorded as having died from mesothelioma, the fact is that there may have been many more; prior to 1999, the Minnesota Department of Health simply recorded such deaths as “cancer-related.” Those who worked in the mines should seek legal counsel from a mesothelioma lawyer as they may have been negligently exposed to asbestos.

Other Minnesota 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.

Albert Lea

  • Albert Lea Courthouse
  • Interstate Power Company
  • Southern Minnesota Gas and Elec Company
  • Wilson & Company Inc

Aurora

  • Aurora Steam Electric Plant
  • Bethlehem Steel
  • Dow Chemical Company
  • Erie Mining Company
  • Linde Air Products Company
  • Minnesota Power & Light

Austin

  • Austin Municipal Power Plant
  • Austin Utilities Northeast
  • Board of Water Electric & Gas
  • City of Austin Utilities
  • Fuel Economy Engineering Company
  • Geo. A. Homiel and Company

Bayport

  • Anderson Corp
  • King Power Plant
  • Minnesota State Correctional Facility
  • Northern States Power Company

Becker

  • Becker Sherco Power Plant
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Sherburne County Power Station
  • Sherco Power Plant

Blaine

  • Carley Foundry, Inc.

Brainerd

  • Northern Pacific Railroad Company
  • Northwestern Paper Company
  • Potlatch Corporation The Northwest Paper Company Div
  • Wausau Paper Company

Burnsville

  • Black Dog Generating Plant
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Xcel Energy

Cloquet

  • Conwed Corporation
  • Diamond Match Div
  • Northwest Paper Company
  • Potlatch Corporation
  • S. D. Warren Company
  • Sappi Fine Paper
  • Usg Interiors
  • Wood Conversion Company

Cohasset

  • Clay Boswell Power Station
  • Minnesota Power & Light Company

Elk River

  • Elk River Power Plant
  • Great River Energy Cooperative
  • Rural Co-Op Power Association

Fergus Falls

  • Dairy Farmers of America
  • Fergus Falls Dairy
  • Fergus Falls Hospital
  • Hoot Lake Power Plant
  • Ottertail Power Company

Grand Rapids

  • Blandin Paper Company
  • Flament-Hampshire, Inc.
  • Itasca Paper Company
  • Western Mining

Hastings

  • Hastings State Hospital
  • Koch Petroleum Minnesota
  • Koch Refining Company
  • N-Ren
  • Pine Bend Ammonia
  • Regina Hospital
  • Smeads Plant

Hibbing

  • Allis Chalmers Manufacturing Company
  • Charter Inc
  • Hibbing Public Utilities
  • Mechanical Construction Corporation
  • Public Utilities Commission
  • Rogers Brocon Iron Company

Hoyt Lakes

  • Erie Mining Company
  • Hoyt Lakes Power Plant
  • J&L Steel
  • Ltv Steel Mining Company

International Falls

  • Boise Cascade International
  • Boise Cascade Paper Mill
  • Minnesota and Ontario Power Company

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