Rhode Island has no asbestos industries; exposure was most likely to occur as the result of the asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) used in many building supplies and incorporated into the construction of the state's many older and historic buildings. In addition, there is a deposit of serpentine (the source of common white asbestos) located near Diamond Hill. Those who have come in contact with asbestos should seek medical attention at various mesothelioma clinics. Rhode Island Cities where Asbestos Exposure Occurred
Provided below is a list of cities in the state of Rhode Island where asbestos jobsites are known to have been located. If you worked at any of these companies and/or jobsites in Rhode Island 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 History
During the nineteenth century when most structures were made of wood, interior lighting was provided by gas and oil lamps and highly-flammable varnished wood surfaces were popular, fires were endemic. Just before the Northern States went to war against the Confederacy, a young, idealistic entrepreneur named Henry W. Johns came up with a solution.
For the next 130 years, asbestos made its way into virtually all buildings in the form of shingles, wallboard, insulation, pipe lagging and more.
Ironically, Johns product was his demise; he died in 1898 of asbestosis at the age of sixty. Medical researchers at that time were beginning make connections between asbestos and respiratory disease. However, the connection was not fully understood until the 1930s, and it took another forty years, thousands of asbestos deaths and a great deal of litigation before the knowledge became known to the general public.
Risky Business
According to Center For Health Statistics data, 3% of all work-related deaths in industrial occupations are due to mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer that attacks the visceral lining around the lung, abdominal organs and heart.
Rhode Island was the birthplace of the Industrial Age in North America. Although the state's economy is now largely service-oriented, there are five power generation plants and a number of major port facilities.
Power plant workers run some of the greatest risk for developing asbestos disease. Asbestos insulation was extensively throughout these facilities in order to reduce fire risks. Asbestos insulation was also used in boilers, turbines and generators. As this insulation aged, it would begin to crumble and release millions of fibers into the immediate environment.
Because asbestos was used in sea-going vessels prior to 1980 for the same reasons, those who work aboard them are heavily exposed as well. This exposure is especially dangerous in the confined spaces below decks, where there is little ventilation.
Workers who have been negligently exposed to asbestos should seek legal counsel with a mesothelioma lawyer.
Statistics
Between 1980 and 2000, there were 216 fatal cases of asbestos disease in Rhode Island. More than half of these were due to mesothelioma, mostly among residents of the Providence metro area.
Other Rhode Island 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.
Artic
- Artic 1st Congregational Church
- Artic Bank
- Artic Christ & King Church
- Artic City Hall
- Artic Finishing
- Artic Industrial National Bank
- Artic Municipal Building
- Artic Telephone & Telegraph
- Woolworth Company
Ashton
- Healthtex
- Owens-Corning
- Peterson-Puritan Company
- Puritan Aresol
- Rehobeth School-Taunton Pike
- Synthron Chemical
Charleston
- Charleston Navy Base
Darlington
- Central Falls Mazada
- Crescent Corp
- Mchale Warehouse
- Northeast Insulation
- Royal Weaving Company
Davisville
- Davisville Naval Station
- Davisville Naval Station - Barracks
- Davisville Naval Station - Building 68
- Davisville Woolen Company
- G W Reynolds and Company
- Naval Air Station
- U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center
Foster
- Clayville Elementary School
- Isaac Paire School
- Nike Site Foster
- Paragansett High School
Greenville
- Greenville Finishing Co.
- Industrial Underground Bank
- St. Phillips Church
Harrisville
- Harrisville Elderly Housing
- Harrisville Elementary School
- Lakeview Nursing Home-Boiler Room
Jamestown
- Beaver Trail Radar Station
- Jamestown Elderly Housing
- Jamestown Pumping Station
- Jamestown Sewage
- Old Stone Bank
Melville
- Melville Elementary School
- Melville Fuel Pier
- Melville Housing Project
- Melville Naval Station
- Melville Pump House
- Melville Trailer Park
Middletown
- Mcdonald's
- Middletown Bank
- Middletown Elementary School
- Middletown Firehouse
- Middletown Methodist Church
- Middletown Navy Housing
- Middletown School
- St. Georges Academy
Narragansett
- Galilee Processing Co.
- Narraganset Marine Lab
- Narragansett Epa Building
- Narragansett Hotel
- Narragansett Power - Manchester St.
- Narragansett Power - South St.
- Narragansett Underground Phone Building
- St. Joseph's
- University of Rhode Island - Marine Laboratory
North Smithfield
- Industrial Park
- Nike Site
- North Smithfield Jr. High School
- North Smithfield Sr. High School
- Smithfield Air National Guard
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