Irwin Chemical Co.

The Irwin Chemical Company operated at 401 6th Street in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States ordered removal actions at the plant when drums that had previously been used for chemical storage had begun to leak. By 2002, the two-story building had been in a fire. The building official declared the structure a public nuisance and, under emergency powers, ordered demolition of the property. Chimneys had fallen, masonry and mortar within the building had severe cracks and there was extensive internal damage.

Based on processes used at the Irwin Chemical Company and materials used to create the building, the city Engineering Department prepared contracts for asbestos removal as well as demolition of the structure. Partial asbestos removal was necessary before any demolition could begin.

Chemical Plants and Asbestos

For the greater part of the 1900s, whenever extreme temperature or fire was a concern, asbestos was used as insulation. Chemical plants like Irwin Chemical Company, as a result, were frequently constructed with materials containing asbestos. Resistance to reactive chemicals is another property of some types of asbestos. Floor tiles, insulation, benches, even protective garments, therefore, frequently were made with the fibrous mineral. One of the ironic things with asbestos is that although it does very well at protecting lives and property from the damage done by extreme heat and flames - it is one of the most effective insulators known and has been used for this purpose since ancient times - it also poses significant risks to human health.

Amosite was frequently the variety of asbestos used in such plants. Amosite is one of the amphibole varieties of asbestos and is generally considered more apt to result in health problems than serpentine asbestos. Used for many years in the form of asbestos transite in refineries and labs across the country, amosite was finally prohibited from use in building materials in the 1970s.

Asbestos transite had qualities like cement; it could be sprayed onto pipes and ductwork and laminated. This form of asbestos did not offer a health hazard while it was solid. However, as this transite got older, it was prone to crumbling, which caused the lethal, tiny particles to flake off into the atmosphere. That is, such asbestos is friable, or able to be reduced to powder by hand pressure alone. Laboratory ovens also frequently contained friable asbestos in insulation linings.

Why Is Friable Asbestos a Problem?

When friable, asbestos particles are readily released into the air. If someone inhales these fibers, they can harm the lungs, resulting in asbestosis. Another unusual, but often fatal, disease caused by asbestos is mesothelioma cancer. The pleural form of mesothelioma, which affects the lining between the lungs and the chest cavity, is the most common. Swallowing asbestos fibers, which can occur when those microscopic particles are released into the air and land on food or in drinks, may result in peritoneal or pericardial mesothelioma.

Since medical research yielded a better knowledge of asbestos' serious effects on human health, employees today enjoy the protection of stringent guidelines regulating how to use asbestos. When chemical plants like Irwin Chemical Company were built, however, the use of asbestos was more common. And even now, asbestos from long ago may be the source of problems if it is not properly handled during demolition and remodeling projects.

Asbestos Exposure - a Hidden Danger

Mesothelioma Disease in contrast to most work-related injuries, which are readily observed and known about immediately following the incident, can take ten, twenty, or even thirty years to develop. Given such a long time between asbestos exposure and the appearance of the resulting disease, the worker might not even connect the current health problem with work he or she did up to 40 years ago. It is very important, therefore, that people who worked in or spent much time around plants such as Irwin Chemical Company tell their physicians about the possibility of exposure to asbestos. In addition, spouses of these people are also in danger, since unless strict decontamination protocols, such as using workplace-only clothing and on-site showers, were in place, it was all too easy for workers to bring home asbestos on their skin, in their hair, or on their clothes. Those who believe they are at risk should seek a mesothelioma treatment guide from their health professional.

Sources

EPA Federal Register Environmental Documents - Proposed Settlement Under Section 122 (h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as Amended, 42 U.S.C. 9622(h), Irwin Chemical Company Superfund Site, Des Moines, IA
http://www.epa.gov/EPA-WASTE/1994/October/Day-28/pr-48.html

Des Moines Government - Office of the City Manager City of Des Moines, Iowa Agenda August 5, 2002
https://www.dmgov.org/mayor_council/agendas/2002_as/080502/Blue/02-420.htm

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) - Laboratories and Shops
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages3.html

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Disposal
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/HAZEXCEPTIONS/a.html