Menu

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure in Idaho

Expert Fact Checked

This page was legally reviewed by Jennifer Lucarelli. For information on our content creation and review process read our editorial guidelines. If you notice an error or have comments or questions on our content please contact us.

Jennifer Lucarelli Lawyer and Legal Advisor

If you live in the state of Idaho and have worked there for a significant amount of time, there is a chance that you were exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Prolonged exposure to asbestos can lead to serious health problems including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer and other non-malignant lung impairments.


01. Statistics

Idaho Mesothelioma and Asbestos Statistics

Idaho residents and visitors could risk exposure to asbestos at work, home, or in publicly accessible buildings.

  • From 1999-2015, 212 Idaho residents died from mesothelioma
  • Idaho has an average mesothelioma death rate of about 8.4 people per million annually (Source: CDC)
  • There are 8 naturally occurring asbestos deposits known to exist in Idaho (Source: USGS)
  • Mesothelioma incidence is a little higher in the northernmost counties of Idaho than elsewhere in the state (Source: Journal of the American Medical Association)
02. Asbestos in Workplaces

Asbestos Exposure in Idaho Workplaces

With its strong agricultural and industrial history, Idaho workers have a strong chance of encountering asbestos throughout their lifetimes.

Agriculture:

Although known primarily for its potatoes, Idaho is also home to a number of other agricultural concerns. Some of these farms and facilities have been known to expose their employees to asbestos through the use of agricultural fillers and other asbestos-containing materials. Some such jobsites were operated by the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, Amalgamated Sugar Company, and Carnation Milk Products Company. Asbestos was heavily used in parts of agricultural machines, food transportation vehicles, and food processing plants.

Power Plants:

At one time, the U.S. Department of Energy maintained the Idaho National Laboratory as a research facility for nuclear energy, and the state’s history with atomic power has led to much of what people know today about this form of alternative energy. Given the high amount of heat and electricity produced at a nuclear plant, large amounts of asbestos have been used as an insulator against both. Companies like the A.E.C. Atomic Plant in Idaho Falls, U.S. Atomic Energy Corporation in Arco, and the Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company in Scoville, among others, are all known to have exposed their workers to the dangers of asbestos.

Steel:

Although not its largest industry, steel production is another way that many people in Idaho have been exposed to asbestos. Western Steel, Bunker Hill Smelter and Gate City Steel are all locations where steelworkers have experienced asbestos exposure as a part of their daily lives.

Lumber and Paper:

With large swaths of forest, Idaho has contributed to the nation’s lumber and paper industries. The Potlatch Corporation’s forest near Lewiston is just one of a number of sites where employees and visitors were known to have experienced asbestos exposure. Other such sites include the Boise Cascade Paper Mill and the Pulp Mill Warehouse.

03. Superfund Sites

Asbestos Superfund Sites in Idaho

Idaho is not home to any shipyards, but there is at least one location on the EPA’s Superfund list that has required cleanup due to the presence of asbestos and other hazardous materials. Other locations have also put people at risk of asbestos exposure throughout the state.

ARRCOM (Drexler Enterprises)

A one-acre plot of land about three miles outside of Rathdrum, Idaho, this waste oil recycling facility site was operated from about 1960 until it was abandoned in the early 1980s. While the EPA’s primary concern at the facility was the oil sludge and solvents used as part of the recycling process, it also became clear during the cleanup that there was a significant asbestos hazard at the site. Workers, and later cleanup specialists, were exposed to asbestos in the machinery and oil containers, which was used to prevent or contain any fires that might break out at the plant.

04. Other Work Sites

Asbestos Exposure at Idaho Job Sites

Learn more about asbestos exposure in the major towns and cities of Idaho by clicking on the links below. If you worked at any of the jobsites highlighted on these pages, there is a possibility that you may have been exposed to asbestos which is known to cause the terminal cancer mesothelioma.

Idaho Directory of Asbestos Work Sites

Select a city to see a list of work sites where asbestos exposure occurred.

, Idaho Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

  • A.E.C. Atomic Plant
  • A.E.C. Atomic Plant
  • Amalgamated Sugar Company
  • Boise Cascade Building Products
  • Boise Cascade Corporation
  • Boise Cascade Corporation
  • Boise Cascade Paper Mill
  • Bunker Hill Company
  • Bunker Hill Smelter
  • C.F. Brown
  • Capital High School
  • Carnation Milk Products Company
  • Chandler Supply Company
  • Clover Club Foods
  • College of Idaho
  • Deatley Corporation
  • E.G. & G.
  • Ebrii Powerhouse
  • Fluor Corporation
  • FMC Corporation
  • Gate City Steel
  • H.L. Electric
  • Howard S. Wright & Associates
  • Idaho Nuclear Corp
  • Idaho State Capitol
  • Inel
  • Intermountain Gas Company
  • Ira Sponsors Warehouse
  • J.R. Simplot Company
  • Latter Day Saints Hospital
  • Lewiston Grade School
  • Morrison-Knudsen
  • Morrison-Knudsen
  • National Reactor Testing Station
  • National Reactor Testing Station
  • Northwest Roads Company
  • Nuclear Facility
  • Oregon Short Line Railroad Company
  • Paul Hardeman
  • Paul’s Plumbing & Heating
  • Phillips Petroleum Company
  • Plateau Supply Company
  • Pocatello Chemical
  • Potlatch Corporation
  • Potlatch Forest
  • Pulp Mill Warehouse
  • Raft River Turbine Generating Station
  • Robison Dist Company
  • Saint Alphunsus Hospital
  • Simplot J R Company
  • Southern Industries Piping Company
  • Sullivan Mining Company
  • Terminal Ice & Cold Storage
  • Thro’ John F. Cooney
  • Tra Sponsors Warehouse
  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
  • Union Pacific Railroad Company
  • United States Atomic Energy Commission
  • University of Idaho Southern Branch
  • US Atomic Energy Corp
  • Utah Idaho Sugar Company
  • Utah-Idaho Sugar Company
  • Waters Asbestos & Supply
  • Western Steel
  • Westinghouse Electric Company
  • Westinghouse Electric Corporation
  • Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company
  • Westvaco Mineral Production
  • Yanke Machine Shop, Inc.
  • Zinn Industrial Supply

Find Mesothelioma Doctors, Lawyers and Asbestos Exposure Sites Near You

Find Mesothelioma Doctors, Lawyers and Asbestos Exposure Sites Near You
Sources [+]
  • 1

    Geological Research, Analyses and Services Programs. Naturally Occurring Asbestos Locations in the Contiguous U.S. and Alaska.

  • 2

    Nolan, Armina. “EPA Takes Over Asbestos Inspections in Idaho.” Environmental Protection Agency, 19 November 1997.