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Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure in Iowa

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Jennifer Lucarelli Lawyer and Legal Advisor

Prolonged exposure to asbestos can lead to serious health problems including pleural mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer. If you have lived and worked in Iowa for a significant amount of time, there is a chance that you were exposed to asbestos at home or in the workplace. For your convenience, we have compiled information about asbestos and mesothelioma in the state of Iowa.


01. Statistics

Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Statistics in Iowa

  • From 1999-2015, 432 Iowa residents died from mesothelioma
  • Iowa has a mesothelioma mortality rate of approximately 9 people per million each year (Source: CDC)
  • Since Iowa is mainly geologically inactive flatlands, there is no known naturally occurring asbestos (Source: USGS)
  • Linn and Polk counties in Iowa have suffered the most asbestos-related deaths between 1999-2013 (Source: CDC)
02. Asbestos in Workplaces

Asbestos Exposure in Iowa Workplaces

While Iowa doesn’t have any naturally occurring asbestos putting residents at risk, many industries in the state heavily rely on asbestos in their facilities and processes.

Power Plants:

Power plant workers typically work with asbestos-containing materials on a regular basis, since its heat and chemical resistance made it an ideal mineral for their processes. Wolf Creek Generating Station and Duane Arnold Energy Center are just two of the Iowa-based power plants known to have used asbestos.

Agriculture:

Iowa ranks second in the nation for agricultural production, using about 90% of its land as farmland. Iowa boasts rich, productive soil, and while there is no concern about natural asbestos in the area, those in agriculture still face the threat of exposure. Farm machinery often made use of various asbestos products, like gaskets or brake material. Suppliers like the Iowa Farmer Tool Company put those in this industry at risk.

Manufacturing:

Many manufacturers used asbestos throughout the country, but Fort Dodge has a particularly worrisome history of gypsum manufacturing. Gypsum is mined and processed for use in plaster and drywall at a number of facilities in the area, including the National Gypsum Company, which was known to use and make asbestos products. This heavy use of asbestos coupled with the frequent natural disasters Iowa unfortunately experiences puts many workers and residents at risk of exposure.

Chemical Plants:

The durability of asbestos, even against chemical reactions, made it an important mineral for many chemical plants in their processes and throughout the facilities. Irwin Chemical Company, as well as USI Chemical Company, in Iowa are just a few of these facilities known to have caused asbestos exposure.

Military:

The U.S. Naval Reserve Aviation Base in Ottumwa is one of hundreds of U.S. military bases known to have used asbestos-containing materials. Buildings on the bases, as well as the various military vessels, all used asbestos products in their construction, putting veterans at high risk for mesothelioma.

03. Superfund Sites

Asbestos Superfund Sites in Iowa

Since Iowa isn’t connected to any large bodies of water, there are no shipyards posing an asbestos threat to residents. However, Iowa has had several sites included on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund list for a variety of environmental hazards, including two with asbestos concerns.

E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company

DuPont, one of the world’s largest chemical companies today, is one of the most notorious corporations for its environmental mishaps. Though the company’s headquarters is in Delaware, a state that also was home to a DuPont Superfund site, they had facilities throughout the country. DuPont operated in Lee County, near West Point in Iowa. Like the site in Delaware, the Iowa facilities were contaminated with decades of industrial waste. The soil and water surrounding the area were contaminated with various metals, inorganic compounds, and traces of asbestos. The site was added to the Superfund List in 1990, and maintenance and monitoring of the situation are ongoing today.

John Deere (Dubuque Works)

John Deere is a well-known manufacturer of construction equipment, like backhoes and bulldozers. This 1,500 acre property a few miles away from the City of Dubuque had been in operation since 1946, and over time improper waste disposal led to some contamination throughout the site. Improper waste disposals of various metals, as well as asbestos-containing materials, and a later fuel line leak contaminated the groundwater. This site was added to the Superfund List in 1988. With the company’s cooperation, they were able to continue their operations during cleanup efforts with the EPA. The site is no longer on the Superfund List, though continues to be monitored.

04. Exposure in Cities

Iowa Cities with Known Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos exposure on the job is known to have occurred in the following Iowa cities. Prolonged asbestos exposure can cause the terminal cancer mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases. Click on any city below to view a complete list of commercial, military and residential job sites where asbestos exposure occurred in that city.

05. Other Work Sites

Asbestos Exposure at Smaller Iowa Sites

Workplace asbestos exposure is also a concern if one looks beyond the major cities and towns in Iowa. Select a town below to see the list of its job sites known to have exposed workers to asbestos. Asbestos exposure at any one of the job sites revealed could have placed a worker at risk to develop mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos-related diseases.

, Iowa Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

  • A M Bennett Company
  • A T & T Company
  • A Y Mcdonald Building
  • A. H. Bennett Company
  • A. Y. Mcdonald Manufacturing. Company
  • A.P. Green Industries, Inc.
  • A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing. Company
  • Ag Processing Incorporated
  • Alcoa Company
  • Alliant Power Company
  • Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation
  • Allied Construction Service
  • Allied Construction Services, Inc.
  • Allied Mills Inc
  • Aluminum Company of America
  • American Crystal Sugar
  • American Herbicide Plant
  • American Herbicide Plant
  • American Republic Insurance Company Building
  • American Wire Cloth Manufacturing Company
  • Ames Municipal Utilties
  • Ames-Farmer Canning Company
  • Animal Diseases Laboratory
  • Annis Supply Company
  • Apco Oil Corporation
  • Archer Daniels Midland Company
  • Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM)
  • Armour & Company
  • Armour Dial Inc
  • Armour Plant
  • Armstrong Tire & Rubber Company
  • Art Brown Motors
  • Art Gallery & Museum
  • Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad System
  • Ballsford Station
  • Beaver Channel Powerhouse
  • Berkley & Company
  • Bestwall Gypsum
  • Bettendorf Community School
  • Bettendorf High School
  • Bixby, W.H. Inc
  • Blackhawk Foundry
  • Board of Control of State Institutions
  • Board of Control State Institutions
  • Board of Education
  • Board of Education
  • Board of Education
  • Borden, Inc.
  • Brammer Manufacturing
  • Brice Gas and Electric Company
  • Brittain and Company
  • Brown Paper Company
  • Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company
  • Burlington High School
  • Burlington Northern Railroad
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad
  • Burlington Ordnance Works
  • Burpee Seed Company
  • C P Braun & Company
  • C. Gilbert
  • C.H. McGuiness Company, Inc.
  • California Chemical
  • Can-Tex Industries
  • Caradco Corp
  • Cargill
  • Cargill-Eddyville Corn Milling
  • Cargill, Inc.
  • Cargill, Inc.
  • Cargill, Inc., Corn Starch & Syrup Plant
  • Cargill, Incorporated
  • Carnation Company
  • Carr Ryder and Adams Company
  • Carr, Adams and Collier Company
  • Cedar Falls Municipal Utilities
  • Cedar Falls Paper Manufacturing Company
  • Cedar Falls Utilities
  • Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway and Light Company
  • Cedar Rapids Electric Light and Power Company
  • Cedar Rapids Galvanizing Company
  • Cedar Rapids Meats, Inc.
  • Cedar Rapids Nuclear Powerhouse
  • Cedar Rapids YMCA
  • Cedar Valley Railway Construction Company
  • Celotex Corporation
  • Central Asbestos & Supply
  • Central Catholic High School
  • Central Service & Supply Company
  • Central Steel Tube Company
  • Cepex Midwest Plant
  • CertainTeed Products Company
  • Chamberlain Manufacturing Company
  • Chemplex Corporation
  • Chevron Chemical Company
  • Chicago & Northwestern
  • City of Muscatine Power
  • City Plumbing Supply
  • Climax Holybuenum Company
  • Clinton Chemical Plant
  • Clinton Corn Processing Company
  • Clinton General Hospital
  • Clinton Industries, Inc.
  • Clinton Products Company
  • Clinton Steam Laundry Company
  • Clinton Sugar Refining Company
  • Co-Op Chemical
  • Cole Rendering Company
  • Collins Radio Company
  • Consolidated Packing
  • Consolidated Packing Company
  • Consumers Coop
  • Corn Belt Packing Company
  • Corn Belt Power Cooperative
  • Council Bluffs Powerhouse
  • Covenant Medical Center
  • Craemer Produce Company
  • Crandic Railroad Whse.
  • Crandon Mill
  • Crystal Heating & Plumbing
  • Cudahy Packing Company
  • Curtis Brothers and Company
  • Darling International
  • Davenport Bank Building
  • Davenport Central High School
  • Davenport Community School
  • Davenport Gas and Electric Company
  • Davenport Glucose Manufacturing Company
  • Davenport Iowa Wastesater Treatment Plant
  • Davenport Water Company
  • Davenport Works
  • Decker Jacob E and Sons
  • Deere & Company
  • Deere & Company
  • Department of Me
  • Des Moines Brewing Company
  • Des Moines City Railway Company
  • Des Moines Company Drainage
  • Des Moines Edison Light Company
  • Des Moines Electric Company
  • Des Moines Power Station
  • Dewey Portland Cement Company
  • Dial Corp
  • Donohoo Steel Treating Company
  • Douglas Company
  • Downing Box Corporation
  • Duane Arnold Nuclear Powerhouse
  • Dubuque Steam Supply Company
  • Dubuque Stove Products
  • DuPont Chemical
  • E I Dupont De Nemours Company
  • Eagle Iron Works
  • Economy Roofing & Ins. Company
  • Eddyville Powerhouse
  • Edison Electric Light Company
  • Equitable Building
  • Executive Council of Iowa
  • Executive Council of Iowa
  • Fairmont Cemetery
  • Fairmont Creamery Company
  • Fairmont Foods
  • Farley and Loetscher Manufacturing Company
  • Farmers Elevator Insurance Company
  • Finley Hospital
  • Firestone Agricultural Tire Company
  • Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
  • First Federal Savings and Loan Association Building
  • First National Building
  • Fisher Artificial Ice and Cold Storage Company
  • Fisher Controls Company
  • Fisher Governor Company
  • Fluor Corporation
  • Fort Dodge Division
  • Fort Dodge Gas and Electric Company
  • Fort Dodge Light and Power Company
  • Fort Madison Chair Company
  • Fort Neil Army Base
  • Frank Foundries Corp
  • Frank L Smart Jr Hi Sch
  • Frank Zobac Construction Company
  • French Hecht, Inc.
  • Galesburg Sr. High School
  • Gate City Steel
  • General Mills, Inc.
  • General Services Administration
  • George Neal Power Station
  • George Neal Station
  • Georgia Pacific Corporation
  • Globe Machinery & Supply Company
  • Glucose Sugar Refinning Company
  • Governor Road Plant
  • Grain Processing Plant
  • Grandview Baptist Church
  • Grandwood School
  • Grant School
  • Great Western Cereal Company
  • Great Western Cereal Company
  • Griffin Pipe
  • Hansen Brothers
  • Hawkeye Chemical Plant
  • Hawkeye Laundry Company
  • Hawkeye Steel Products
  • Hawkeye Tire and Rubber Company
  • Herman Fust Company
  • Hinde & Dauch Paper Company
  • Home City Ice Company
  • Home Federal Savings & Loan Association
  • Hooker Chemical Corp
  • Hubinger Company
  • Huiskamp Brothers Company
  • Huttig Manufacturing Company
  • Ies Utilities Inc
  • IES Utilities Inc.
  • International Distilling Company
  • International Milling Company
  • International Minerals Corporation
  • Interstate Pipe & Supply Company
  • Interstate Power and Light Company
  • Interstate Power and Light Company
  • Interstate Power Company
  • Interstate Power Company
  • Interstate Power Company
  • Interstate Powerhouse
  • Iowa Air National Guard
  • Iowa and Illinois Railway Company
  • Iowa Asbestos Company
  • Iowa Capitol Planning Commission
  • Iowa City Light and Power Company
  • Iowa Electric Company
  • Iowa Electric Light & Power
  • Iowa Electric Light & Power Company
  • Iowa Electric Light & Power Company
  • Iowa Electric Light & Power Company
  • Iowa Electric Light & Power Company
  • Iowa Electric Light & Power Company
  • Iowa Electric Light and Power Company
  • Iowa Farm Bureau
  • Iowa Farming Tool Company
  • Iowa Illinois Gas and Elec Company
  • Iowa Illinois Gas and Electric Company
  • Iowa Lutheran Hospital
  • Iowa Manufacturing Company
  • Iowa Methodist Hospital
  • Iowa Ordnance Plant
  • Iowa Packing Company
  • Iowa Portland Cement Company
  • Iowa Power & Light
  • Iowa Power & Light Company
  • Iowa Public Service Company
  • Iowa Public Service Company
  • Iowa Public Service Gas and Electric Company
  • Iowa Public Service Station
  • Iowa Sheet Metal Construction
  • Iowa Soldiers Home
  • Iowa Southern Power Station
  • Iowa Southern Utilities Company
  • Iowa Southern Utilities Company
  • Iowa State Board of Education
  • Iowa State Capitol
  • Iowa State College
  • Iowa State Hospital
  • Iowa State Hwy Commission
  • Iowa State University
  • Iowa State University
  • Iowa Steel and Iron Works, Inc.
  • Iowa Veterans Home
  • Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company
  • Iron Public Service
  • Irwin Chemical Company
  • J W Davis Company
  • J. A. Neymeyer Company
  • J. Deere Tractor
  • J. Morrell & Company
  • J.C. Hubinger and Bra
  • J.E. Decker & Sons
  • J.I. Case Company
  • Jacob E. Decker & Sons
  • Jaeger Manufacturing Company
  • James Stewart & Co.
  • Jeld Wen Inc
  • John Deere
  • John Deere Dubuque Tractor
  • John Deere Dubuque Works
  • John Deere Power Plant
  • John Deere Tractor
  • John Morrell & Company
  • John Neff Cedar Falls Paper Company
  • Johnson Gas Appliance Company
  • Johnson School
  • Jones As Terminal Sts
  • Joseph Morrell and Company Ltd.
  • Kahl Building
  • Keokuk Railway and Power Company
  • Kings Concrete Company
  • Kiowa Corp
  • Kohrs Cold Storage Company
  • Kramer Produce
  • Kromer Produce Company
  • Kurtz Hardware
  • L & L Insulation Company
  • L.C. Harberger
  • Lake Shore Tire & Rubber Company
  • Lehigh Portland Cement Company
  • Lehy Bridge & Tile
  • Linde Air Products Company
  • Linde Air Products Company
  • Lippert Bros.
  • Longview Fibre Company
  • M. W. Kellogg Company
  • Maizwood Products Company
  • Marquart Concrete Block Company
  • Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company
  • Marshall Canning Company
  • Marshall Canning Company
  • Marshall Sugar Refining Company
  • Marshall Swift & Company
  • Martin-Marietta Cement Company
  • Mason City Brick & Tile
  • Mason City Clear Lake Railway Company
  • Maytag Company
  • Maytag Corporation
  • Mc Donald Manufacturing Company
  • Mccarthy Improvement
  • McFarland Clinic
  • Mcguiness C H & Company
  • McKinley School
  • Mechanical Department
  • Medical Research Hospital
  • Mental Health Institute
  • Merchants National Bank
  • Mercy Hospital
  • Mercy Hospital
  • Meredith Printing, Inc.
  • Midamerican Energy Company
  • Midamerican Energy Company
  • Midamerican Energy Company
  • Midamerican Energy Company
  • Midland Industries, Inc.
  • Midland Packing Company
  • Midwest Carbide Corp
  • Midwest Power
  • Mississippi River Power Company
  • Missouri River Plant
  • Ml Kapp Station
  • Monsanto
  • Monsanto Chemical Company
  • Monsanto Company
  • Municipal Electric Utilities
  • Municipal Light & Power Company
  • Municipal Power Plant
  • Murray Iron Works
  • Muscatine Lighting Company
  • Muscatine Municipal Electric Plant
  • Muscatine Power & Water
  • Mystic Milling Company
  • National Gypsum
  • National Starch Company
  • National Travelers Life Insurance building
  • Neal Station
  • Nichols Wire & Aluminum Company
  • North American Manufacturing Company
  • North States Port Cement
  • Northern Indiana Gas & Electric
  • Northern Natural Gas Company
  • Northern Sugar Corp
  • Northwest Bell Telephone Building
  • Northwestern Bell Telephone Company
  • Northwestern Construction Company
  • Northwestern Portland Cement
  • Northwestern States Portland Cement Company
  • Oakes Thomas Company
  • Oakley Ray
  • Oscar Mayer & Company
  • Oscar Mayer & Company
  • Osmundson Manufacturing Company
  • Ottumwa Box Car Loader Company
  • Ottumwa Brick & Tile Company
  • Ottumwa Elect and Stm Company
  • Ottumwa Electric Railway
  • Ottumwa Railway and Light Company
  • Ottumwa Tract and Light Company
  • P.M. Lattner Manufacturing Company
  • Paul Hoshek
  • Penick & Ford, Ltd.
  • Peoples Gas & Electric
  • Peoples Gas and Electric Company
  • Peoples Light Company
  • Perry Packing Company
  • Peter Pan Bakers, Inc.
  • Phillips Chemical
  • Pirelli Armstrong Tire Corporation
  • Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company
  • Plumb Supply Company
  • Port Neal Power Plant
  • Power Plant
  • Power Plant
  • Power Service Corp City of Spencer
  • Powerhouse
  • Powerhouse
  • Powerhouse
  • Prairie Pipe Line Company
  • Proctoer and Gamble Company
  • Proctor & Gamble Company
  • Putnam Asbestos Company
  • Putnam Building
  • Quaker Oats Company
  • Quinn Wire & Iron Company
  • R. M. Daly & Company
  • Rath Packing Company
  • Red Jacket M F G Company
  • Register & Tribune building
  • Riverside Generating Plant
  • Roach and Musser Company
  • Roberts and Oake, Inc.
  • Rockwell Collins
  • Roosevelt High School
  • Rubber Industries Div of Dryden Rubber Company
  • S W Manufacturing Company
  • Sage Facilities
  • Saint Francis Hospital
  • Salvation Army Home
  • Sheet Metal Workers Local 91
  • Sheet Metal Workers Union
  • Sheller Manufacturing Company
  • Shick General Hospital
  • Silas Mason Company
  • Silas Mason Company
  • Sinclair Petrochemicals
  • Sinclair Refining Company
  • Sinclair Refining Company
  • Sioux City Coal and Gas
  • Sioux City Gas & Electric
  • Sioux City Oat Meal Company
  • Sioux City Service Company
  • Sioux City Tractor Company
  • Sister of Humility
  • Sisters of St. Francis
  • Sivyer Steel Casting Company
  • Smart Junior High School
  • Southerland Station
  • Spencer Veneer Products
  • St. Ambrose College
  • St. Francis Hospital
  • St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital
  • Star Galvanizing Company
  • State University of Iowa
  • Stockyards Service and Supply Company
  • Storm Lake High School
  • Sudlow Jr. High School
  • Swift & Company
  • Swift & Company
  • Swift & Company
  • Swift & Company
  • Swift and Company
  • Swift Company
  • Swift Edible Oil Company
  • Swift Independent Packing
  • Swift Meat Packing Company
  • Taylor Insulation Company
  • Taylor School
  • Terra Chemical Incorporated
  • Terra Chemical International
  • The Hubinger Company
  • Thermolyne Corporation
  • Tipton Power Plant
  • Titan Tire Corporation
  • Titan Wheel International, Inc.
  • Union Electric Company
  • Union Pacific Railroad
  • Union Pacific Railroad Company
  • Union Stock Yard Company
  • United Light and Railway Company
  • United Light and Railways. Company
  • Universal Gypsum Company
  • University Avenue Supply
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Northern Iowa
  • University Power Plant
  • Us Army Ardination Plant
  • Us Naval Reserve Aviation Base
  • USI Chemical Co.
  • VA Central Iowa Health Care System
  • Van Camp Packing Company
  • Veterans Administration Hospital
  • Virginia Carolina Chemical Company
  • VY Lactos Laboratories Inc.
  • W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company
  • W.H. Bixby, Inc.
  • Wabash Power
  • Waldinger Corporation
  • Washington Junior High School
  • Waterloo and Cedar Rapids Transit Company
  • Waterloo Cedar Falls Northern Railway Company
  • Waterloo Gas and Electric Company
  • Wayne Manufacturing Company
  • West Des Moines High School
  • West Waterloo High School
  • Whitehead Machinery Company
  • Wiese Corp
  • Wilson & Co.
  • Wilson Foods Corporation
  • Wilson Meatpacking
  • Wj Company Warehouse
  • Wolf Creek Generating Station
  • Xavier Hospital
  • Ymca
  • Younker Brothers Department Store building

Find Mesothelioma Doctors, Lawyers and Asbestos Exposure Sites Near You

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

    Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception: The Terrifying True Story of How Asbestos is Killing America. (New York: Touchstone, 2003.)

  • 2

    Lipsher, Steve. “Small Towns Face Crunch to Eradicate Asbestos.” The Denver Post, 26 September 2007.