North Carolina Asbestos Exposure

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North Carolina is home to a number of chrysotile (“white” asbestos) deposits, which are concentrated in the state's mountainous western and southwestern regions.
Jobsites in North Carolina at which workers suffered asbestos exposure include power plants, steel mills and shipyards. Such industries can be found in every major city in the state.

North Carolina Cities where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

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

Power Plants

Medical researchers in Puerto Rico studied the chest x-rays of several hundred power plant workers and discovered indications of respiratory disease in fully 13% of the images. A later study from the Center for Health Statistics confirms that that workers employed at power generating facilities are at greater risk for developing such disease. These workers include:
  • electricians
  • pipefitters
  • boilermakers
  • repairmen and maintenance personnel
Asbestos insulation was often used to wrap electrical conduits were often wrapped in asbestos insulation, while asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were used in the plaster, drywall, and the cement used to construct the buildings that housed them. Because asbestos is not only heat and fire resistant but is also an excellent electrical insulator, wiring, panel partitions, and electrical cloth manufactured between 1930 and 1980 all contained ACMs. Such workers should seek the counsel of a mesothelioma lawyer if they believe they have been negligently exposed to asbestos.

Steel Mills

The Nucor Corporation was one of the first steel mills to use electric arc furnaces rather than blast furnaces when it commenced operations in 1966. However, because heat and fire hazards remained, asbestos was used for gaskets and linings, ovens, ladles, boilers, and steam pipes. Asbestos exposure also came from clothing designed to protect steelworkers from burns, as it was usually lined with the material.
Steelworkers running the highest risk of asbestos disease include:
  • pourers and casters
  • operators, tenders
  • furnace operators and inspectors
  • machine setters
  • millwrights
  • welders.

Marine Industries

4,700 workers at a Maryland Coast Guard facility were the subject of a recent study by the National Cancer institute; these people showed elevated rates of asbestos disease. Researchers reported that the difference in rates of asbestos disease between shipyard workers and the public at large was “small but significant.” Such workers should seek medical attention from mesothelioma clinics in their area.
Ship construction throughout the world involved the use of asbestos products for decades. Asbestos insulation was used for pipes, fireproof doors, and between decks in order to deaden sound. Some of the state's shipyards include:
  • North Carolina Shipbuilding Company
  • Cardinal Lines
  • New Bern Shipyard (no longer in business)

Statistics

During the last two decades of the twentieth century, 1000 North Carolinians died from asbestos disease. Although mesothelioma is much rarer than asbestosis, victims of this form of cancer accounted for more than 50% of these fatalities. The reason may be attributed to the fact that asbestosis is not immediately fatal and can be managed with early detection and proper treatment. Mesothelioma on the other hand is virtually always fatal; most patients die within eighteen months of their diagnosis.

Other North Carolina 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.

Asheboro

  • Acme-Mccrary Corporation
  • Bossong Hosiery Mills
  • Burlington Industries
  • Moores Super Stores
  • Pitchard St Plant
  • Union Carbide

Aurora

  • Brown & Root
  • Pcs Phosphate Company Inc
  • Texas Gulf Sulfur Company

Boone

  • Appalachian Electric Power Company
  • Appalachian State College
  • Appalachian State University
  • International Register Company
  • Sherwin Williams Company
  • Watauga Building Sup Inc.
  • Watauga County Hospital

Brevard

  • Agfa Corp
  • Brevard Photo Products
  • E. I. Dupont De Nemours & Company
  • Photo Products Department

Burlington

  • Aurora Cotton Mills
  • Burlington Mills
  • Lawrence Hall
  • Piedmont Railway and Electric Company
  • Western Electric Company

Butner

  • Butner Training School
  • John Umstead Hospital
  • Mount Hope Finishing Company
  • Murdoch Center
  • Murdoch School
  • State Hospital At Butner

Canton

  • Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc
  • Champion Fibre Company
  • Champion International Corporation
  • Champion Paper & Fiber Company
  • Champion Paper Company

Cliffside

  • Cone Mills Weaving Plant
  • Duke Power Company

Cramerton

  • Burlington Industries, Inc.
  • Burlyngton Mills Corp
  • Cramerton Automotive Products Lp
  • Cramerton Finishing Plant
  • Cramerton Mills
  • Eagle Mountain Finishing
  • Mayflower Plant
  • New Finishing Plant
  • William G. Lord Plant

Cullowhee

  • U N C Western Carolina University
  • Western Carolina Teachers College
  • Western Carolina University

Eden

  • B and S Warehouse and Storage
  • Duke Power Company - Dan River Power Plant
  • Fieldcrest Cannon Inc
  • Karastan Rug Mill
  • Mohawk Industries Inc
  • Power Sources Inc.
  • Santee Company
  • Sara Lee
  • Trigen Biopower Inc

Enka

  • Akzona Inc
  • American Enka
  • American Enka Corp
  • Basf Corp
  • Basf Fibers
  • Erwin Cotton Mills
  • Power House
  • Rayon Factory

Fletcher

  • Cranston Heating Company
  • Cranston Print Works Company
  • Ralph Wilson Plastics
  • Wilsonart

Forest City

  • Burlington Industries, Inc.
  • Cone Mills Florence Plant
  • Florence Mills
  • J. C. Bowan Plant
  • Power Sources, Inc
  • Trigen Biopower Inc

Goldsboro

  • Carolina Power & Light Company
  • Cellotex Corporation
  • Duke Power Company - Lee Power Plant
  • H F Lee Steam Plant
  • J.P. Taylor Company Inc.
  • Lee Steam Plant - Unit 2
  • Quaker Neck Power Station
  • Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Graham

  • Cannon Mills Company
  • Culp Decorative Fabrics
  • Culp Weaving
  • Cummings Senior High School
  • Piedmont Railway and Electric Company

Hamilton

  • Alamac Knit Fabrics
  • Beaunit Mills Inc
  • Beaunit Textiles
  • Hamilton Plant
  • West Point Pepperell
  • West Point Stevens

Haw River

  • Cone Finishing Company
  • Cone Mills Corporation
  • Granite Finishing Plant
  • Tabardrey Plant

Henderson

  • Berkley Mills
  • Harriet Cotton Mills
  • Mount Hope Finishing Company, Inc
  • Nu Southern Dyeing Etc
  • US Steel

Huntersville

  • McGuire Nuclear Power Plant

Jacksonville

  • Camp Lejeune
  • Jacksonville Plywood Mill
  • Marine Corps Base
  • Weyerhaeuser Company

Kings Mountain

  • Margrace Mill
  • Neisco Inc Margrace Plant
  • Neisler Mills Inc
  • Spectrum Dyed Yarns
  • Spectrum Textured Fibers Inc.
  • St. Matthews Lutheran Church

Kinston

  • Caswell Center
  • E. I. Dupont De Nemours & Company
  • Electric Power Plant
  • Kinston Generating Station
  • Willow Wisp Apartments

Lexington

  • Carolina Panel Company
  • Cobble Dairy Company
  • Dixie Furniture Company Inc.
  • Duracell Usa
  • Lexington Furniture Company Inc
  • Ppg Industries
  • United Furniture Corporation

Marion

  • American Thread
  • Baxter Healthcare Corp
  • Clinchfield Manufacturing Company
  • Cross Cotton Mills Company
  • Drexel Enterprises
  • Drexel Heritage Furnishings Plant 2
  • Harvest Drive Inn
  • Marion Manufacturing
  • Sheer Craft

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