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Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in Mississippi

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Jennifer Lucarelli Lawyer and Legal Advisor

If you live in the state of Mississippi 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. To assist people who live in Mississippi, we have provided information about asbestos and mesothelioma in the state.


01. Statistics

Mississippi Mesothelioma and Asbestos Statistics

Without any naturally occurring asbestos in the state, Mississippi residents, workers, and visitors are still exposed to the deadly material through a number of other means.

  • From 1999-2015, 281 Mississippi residents died from mesothelioma
  • The annual mesothelioma death rate of 5.3 people per million in Mississippi is lower than the national average (Source: CDC)
  • Mississippi has no known asbestos deposits or mines (Source: USGS)
  • The highest mesothelioma mortality rates occur in the southernmost part of Mississippi along the Gulf Coast (Source: Journal of the American Medical Association)
02. Asbestos in Workplaces

Asbestos Use Across Mississippi Industries

The three worst industries for exposing workers to asbestos in Mississippi are oil, power plants, and shipbuilding.

Oil and Gas:

Mississippi’s coastline is relatively small compared to other states along the Gulf Coast, but it is still an important player in the oil industry. The production of oil and gas started years early as 1903, and since then the state has continued to be one of the largest producers of carbon-based fuels in the country. Given the high amounts of asbestos used in the production of oil and gas, companies like Hess Oil & Chemical, Chevron, Southland Oil, and Grenada Oil Company exposed many employees to the hazardous material.

Power Plants:

Power plants are prone to fire danger, and asbestos insulation was often used on pipe fittings, electrical conduits, and mechanical parts, as well as within the power-generating structures themselves. The Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant, Jack Watson Powerhouse, and Gulf Power Plant are all Mississippi power companies that are known to have had asbestos issues at some point.

Shipbuilding:

Research from the National Cancer Institute has confirmed that workers employed in maritime professions run a “significantly higher” risk of asbestos disease than the general population. From the mid-1930s until the late 1970s, asbestos insulation was used extensively in the construction of seagoing vessels. Two Mississippi shipyards where workers are known to have been exposed to asbestos include Ingalls Shipbuilding and the Naval Station at Pascagoula.

Chemical Production:

Asbestos is resistant to many chemicals, as well as heat and electricity, which makes it useful in a variety of chemical processing applications. However, at the same time, those who worked in chemical plants would become exposed to asbestos, putting them at risk of developing mesothelioma later in life. Some of the companies known to have used asbestos include Mississippi Chemical, Spencer Chemical Company, and Vicksburg Chemical Company.

Lumber and Paper:

With more than 60% of the state’s land area covered in forests, Mississippi is home to a significant lumber and paper industry. Both of these industries have used asbestos in their production machinery, and many vehicles used to transport and delivery logs, paper, and wood products have asbestos in their brakes, gaskets, and other parts. Some of the companies that have exposed sawyers, millers, and other workers to asbestos include the Hudson Hardwood Flooring Company, the Redwood plant in Vicksburg, Georgia Pacific Pulp & Paper, and the St. Regis Paper Company.

03. Shipyard Sites

Asbestos Shipyards in Mississippi

With its small but strategically important coastline on the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi shipyards have contributed significant numbers of vessels to both commercial and naval fleets over the last century.

Ingalls Shipbuilding

The Ingalls Shipyard is situated on the mouth of the Pascagoula River where it flows into the Mississippi Sound. Established in 1938, the company’s website claims to have built 70% of the U.S. Navy’s fleet, although it started out building commercial ships and did not begin building naval ships in large quantities until the 1950s. Over the years, the company has employed tens of thousands of shipbuilders, dock workers, and others who have been exposed to the high levels of asbestos used in nearly all ocean-going vessels during the early and mid-20th century.

Trinity Marine Group

The Trinity Marine Group holds several shipbuilding concerns, one of which is Trinity Yachts located in Gulfport, MS. The company was formed out of a previous shipyard at Moss Point called Moss Point Marine, and then later purchased Halter Marine to expand its operations. While Trinity Marine Group did not incorporate until 1980, the legacy shipyards purchased by the company likely exposed workers to asbestos during the course of their operation, and those who worked at those locations may be at a high risk of developing mesothelioma.

04. Exposure in Cities

Mississippi Cities Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

Learn more about asbestos exposure in the major towns and cities of Mississippi 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.

05. Other Work Sites

Asbestos Risks at Other Mississippi Work Sites

Asbestos exposure is also a problem if you look beyond the major cities and towns in Mississippi. Select a town to see the list of its job sites where asbestos exposure occurred. Asbestos exposure at any one of the work sites revealed could put a worker at risk to develop mesothelioma cancer.

, Mississippi Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

  • A.K. McInnis, Jr., Inc.
  • Aberdeen High School
  • Advance Gin and Mill Company
  • Alpo Petfoods, Inc.
  • Amerada Hess Corporation
  • Americaloide Cargo Ship
  • American Box Company
  • American Hardware Company
  • Aponang Manufacturing Company
  • Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (ACandS, Inc.)
  • Armstrong Cork and Tile Company
  • Armstrong Cork Company
  • Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company
  • Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
  • Associated Piping & Engineering Company, Inc.
  • Atlantic Gulf ITO
  • Babcock & Wilcox Company
  • Badham Insulation Company, Inc.
  • Baggett Construction Company
  • Bailey Lumber Company
  • Baptist Hospital
  • Baxter Healthcare Corp
  • Baxter Laboratories Inc
  • Baxter Wilson Plant
  • Baxter Wilson Steam Electric
  • Biloxi Electric Railway and Power Company
  • Biloxi VA Medical Center
  • Black Creek Refinery
  • Blackburn Junior High School
  • Blackwater Dredge
  • Brasilloide Cargo Ship
  • Brinkley Junior High School
  • Broom Hall
  • Bryan Brothers Packing Company
  • Bryan Foods
  • Buckeye Cellulose
  • Buckeye Cotton Oil Company
  • Buckeye Cotton Oil Company
  • Buckeye Cotton Oil Company
  • Cafeteria Columbia Training School
  • Callahan Construction Company, Inc.
  • Callaway High School
  • Calvery Baptist Church
  • Cargill, Inc.
  • Carroll Gartin Justice Building
  • Century Manufacturing Co.
  • Chambers Insulation Co.
  • Chambers Stove Company
  • Champion Building
  • Chapel of Memories Mississippi State
  • Chevron Oil Company
  • Chevron Pascagoula Refinery
  • Chevron USA, Inc.
  • Chicago Bridge & Iron Company
  • Chicago Mill and Lumber Company
  • City of Clarksdale – Municipal Power Plant
  • City of Laurel Miss Water Works
  • City of Vicksburg Water Works
  • City Park Auditorium
  • Clark Seafood Company, Inc.
  • Clarksdale Public Utilities Comm
  • Cleaver Brooks
  • Coahoma County Hospital
  • Coast Ship Company
  • Coastal Chemical Corporation
  • Coastal Chemical Corporation
  • College Hall
  • Columbus Compress & Warehouse Company
  • Columbus Ice and Coal Company
  • Columbus Lumber Company
  • Columbus Railway, Power & Light Company Building
  • Continental Turpentine & Resin Corp
  • Corchem, Inc.
  • Corning Glass Works Pascagoula Plant
  • Cresswell Hall Mississippi State
  • Crosby Chemicals, Inc.
  • D.A. Burge
  • Dace Submarine
  • David Herring Construction
  • Davy Powergas Inc.
  • Day Brite Lighting
  • Delta Light and Traction Company
  • Delta Regional Medical Center
  • Delta Sands
  • Delvian Hall
  • Denman Jr High School
  • Derrick Sheetmetal Works
  • Diamond International
  • Dubaz Brothers Seafood
  • Dugger Hall
  • E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
  • Eagle Cotton Oil Company
  • Eastman, Gardiner and Company
  • Electric Light and Water Plant
  • Emhart Company
  • Engard Shipbuilding
  • Engelhard Corporation
  • Engineering Office Mississippi State Hwy Dept
  • Enochs Lumber and Manufacturing Company
  • Entergy “Rex Brown” Power Plant
  • Entergy “Rex Brown” Steam Plant
  • Entergy Mississippi Inc
  • Entergy Mississippi Inc
  • Entergy Mississippi, Inc.
  • Ergon Refining, Inc.
  • Ewing Hall
  • F.B. Walker Shipyard
  • Federal Compress & Warehouse Company
  • Fernwood Junior High School
  • Fidelity Tire and Rubber Company
  • Fidelity Tire Manufacturing Company
  • Fielding L. Wright
  • Filtrol Corporation
  • First Chemical Corporation
  • Flintkote Company
  • Foster Wheeler Corporation
  • Frigitemp Marine Corporation
  • Gariner J. High School
  • GenCorp, Inc.
  • General Box
  • General Electric
  • General Electric (GE)
  • George F Houston and Company
  • Georgia Pacific Pulp & Paper
  • Georgia-Pacific Corporation
  • Georgia-Pacific Corporation
  • Gerald Andrus Plant
  • Glass Containers Corporation
  • Glenbrook Laboratories
  • Grand Gulf Construction
  • Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant
  • Green Elementary School
  • Green Lumber Company
  • Greenville Mills Inc.
  • Greenville Steam Electric Station
  • Greenwood Electric Lt and Water
  • Greenwood Leflore Hospital
  • Greenwood Power Plant
  • Greenwood Utilities Company
  • Grenada Light and Water Works
  • Grenada Oil Company
  • Gulf Development, Inc.
  • Gulf Naval Store
  • Gulf States Construction
  • Gulf States Creosoting Company
  • Gulf States Investment Company
  • Gulfport and Mississippi Coast Traction Company
  • Gulfport and Mississippi Coast Traction Company
  • Gulfport Creosoting Company
  • Gulley Foods Warehouse
  • H K Porter
  • H.K. Porter Company, Inc.
  • Halter Marine
  • Hamilton Manufacturing Company
  • Hamlin Hall Mississippi State
  • Harned Hall
  • Harper Supply Company
  • Hathorn Hall
  • Heat & Frost Insulators Union – Local 114
  • Henderson Generating Station
  • Henderson Power Plant
  • Herbert Hall
  • Hercules Chemical Company
  • Hercules Chemical Plant
  • Hercules Power
  • Hess Oil & Chemical
  • Hightower Hall
  • Hinds County Hospital
  • Hinds Memorial Hospital
  • Homer C. Porter & Sons, Inc.
  • Homer C. Porter & Sons, Inc.
  • Hood Furniture, Inc.
  • Hood Industrial Park, Inc.
  • Hooker Chemical Corp
  • Hopeman Brothers Inc.
  • Houston Brothers
  • Howell Agriculture Engineering
  • Hudson Hardwood Flooring Company
  • Hunt-Wesson Foods, Inc.
  • Huntington Ingalls Industries International Shipbuilding, Inc.
  • I C Switch
  • Illinois Central Railroad Company
  • Indal Aluminum
  • Industrial Steel & Machine Works
  • Industrial Steel and Machine Works
  • Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation
  • Ingram Shipyard
  • International Paper Company
  • International Paper Company
  • International Paper Company
  • International Paper Company
  • Interstate Lumber Company
  • Jack Watson Electric Generating Plant
  • Jackson State University Alexander Hall
  • Jackson State University Dixon Hall
  • Jackson Steam Laundry
  • Jackson Water Company
  • Jacob & Rouse Cottages Columbia Training School
  • Jacob Caron Student Center
  • Jeff Anderson Hospital
  • Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center
  • Jitney Jungle, Inc.
  • John M Stone Cotton Mills
  • Johns-Manville Products Corporation
  • Johnston Tombigbee Furnit
  • Jones County Hospital
  • Jones Jr. High 1125
  • Kaiser Aluminum
  • Kasten Masonry Sales Inc.
  • Keesler Air Force Base
  • Kimberly Clark Corporation
  • Kincannon Hall Mississippi State University
  • Knox Glass Bottle Company
  • Koppers Company Inc Wood Preserving Div
  • Kosciusko Cotton Mills
  • La-Mo Refractory Supply Company
  • Lauderdale County Courthouse
  • Laural Industrial
  • Laurel Compress Company
  • Laurel Cotton Mills
  • Laurel Light and Railway Company
  • Laurel Machine & Foundry
  • Laurel Miss. Sheetmetal
  • Laurel Water Works
  • Lewis Building
  • Lindsey Wagon Company
  • Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
  • Louisville & Nashville Navy Siding
  • Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company
  • Luther Mcgill
  • Magnolia Annex
  • Magnolia Hall
  • Mandal’s Inc.
  • Mason Elementary
  • Mason Fibre Company
  • Masonite Corporation
  • Masonite Corporation
  • Masonite Plant
  • Mcarthur Hall
  • McClelland Store
  • Mccomb City Cotton Mills
  • Mckee Hall
  • McWillis Elementary School
  • Memphis Hardware Flooring Company
  • Mengel Company
  • Meridian Laundry Company
  • Meridian Light and Railway Company
  • Mid-South Insulation Company
  • Mid-South Insulation Company
  • Mid-South Insulation Company
  • Miss. Cotton Oil Company
  • Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College
  • Mississippi Chemical
  • Mississippi Chemical Corporation
  • Mississippi Chemical Plant
  • Mississippi Coliseum
  • Mississippi Cotton Seed Oil Company
  • Mississippi Gulf Refining Company
  • Mississippi Hall
  • Mississippi Insane Asylum
  • Mississippi Negro Vocational College
  • Mississippi Power & Light Company
  • Mississippi Power and Light
  • Mississippi Power and Light Company
  • Mississippi Power and Light Company
  • Mississippi Power and Light Company
  • Mississippi Power and Light Company
  • Mississippi Power Company
  • Mississippi Power Company
  • Mississippi Power Company
  • Mississippi Power Company
  • Mississippi Products and Supply Company
  • Mississippi State Highway Department, Lab Building Annex
  • Mississippi State University
  • Mississippi University for Women
  • Mississippi Vocational College
  • Mitchell Engineering Company
  • Mobile Express, Inc.
  • Mohasco Corp
  • Monticello Plant
  • Morrow Power Plant
  • Moscow Screw Company
  • Moss Brothers
  • Moss Point Shipyard
  • Natchez Electrie St Railway and Power Company
  • Natchez Mill
  • Natchez S E Station
  • National Box Company
  • Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC)
  • Naval Station Pascagoula
  • New Orleans Furniture Manufacturing Company
  • New Power Plant
  • Newsprint South
  • North American Rockwell
  • North Brothers, Inc.
  • North Mill Street Team Track
  • Occidental Chemical Corporation
  • Oldbury Electro-Chemical Company
  • Olin Aluminum Company
  • Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation
  • P E Barnes Lumber Company
  • Pascagoula Veneer Company
  • Pavco
  • Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia Company
  • Plant Sweatt
  • Planters Oil Mill and Gin Company
  • Pontiac Eastern
  • Potasium Nitrate Plant
  • Pulley Hall Southern Station
  • Quaker Oats Company
  • R.H. Watkins High School
  • R.L. Caylor Hall
  • R.L. Nix Plumbing
  • Recreation Building
  • Redwood Plant
  • Redwoods Power Plant
  • Refuge Cotton Oil Company
  • Reichhold Chemicals, Inc.
  • Rhodes Flooring America
  • Rice Hall
  • Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company
  • Schaupter Shipyard
  • Selby, Battersby & Company
  • Sessums Hall
  • Shell Oil Company
  • Shook & Fletcher Insulation Company
  • Smith’s Pogey Boats
  • South End Ricks Spur
  • Southbridge Plastic Products, Inc.
  • Southern Dredging
  • Southern Kraft Corporation
  • Southern Kraft Div Int’L Paper Company
  • Southern Kraft Div International Paper Company
  • Southern Naval Stores
  • Southern Pipe & Supply Company
  • Southern Pipe & Supply Company
  • Southern Railway and Light Company
  • Southern Shell Fish Company
  • Southland Oil
  • Southwest Potash Corporation
  • Spencer Chemical Company
  • St. Regis Paper Company
  • Standard Oil
  • Standard Oil Company Refinery
  • Sterling Health Care Group, Inc.
  • Straits Furniture Company, LLC
  • Struthers Wells Corporation
  • Sun Oil Company Plant
  • Sunflower Heights
  • Suttle Hall
  • Sweatt
  • T.S. Wambles Machine Shop
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • The Rust Engineering Company
  • Thiokol Chemical Corp
  • Titan Tire
  • Toche Enterprises, Inc.
  • Toche Enterprises, Inc.
  • Tri-State Brick & Tile Company, Inc.
  • Trinity Marine Group, Inc.
  • Tupelo Concrete Products, Inc.
  • Tupelo Cotton Mills
  • Tupelo District Office Mississippi State Hwy Dept
  • Tuscaloosa Veneer Company
  • U.S. Boatyard
  • U.S. Gypsum
  • U.S. Gypsum
  • U.S. Plywood Corp
  • U.S. Veterans Administration Hospital
  • Unbleached Kraft and Linerboard Mill
  • Uncle Ben’s
  • Union County Hospital
  • United Insulation
  • United Roofing & Construction
  • United States Axminster Inc
  • United States Gypsum Company
  • University Medical School and Teaching Hospital
  • University of Mississippi
  • University of Southern Mississippi Bernard Reed Green Coliseum
  • University of Southern Mississippi Cook Library
  • University of Southern Mississippi Mannoni Performing Arts Center
  • University of Southern Mississippi Owings McQuagge Hall
  • USS Haddock Submarine
  • USS Hayler Submarine
  • USS Puffer Submarine
  • USS Sculpin Submarine
  • Vicksburg Chemical Company
  • Vicksburg Ice Company
  • Vicksburg Laundry and Cleaners
  • Vicksburg Light and Power Company
  • Vicksburg Mill
  • Vicksburg Railway and Light Company
  • Vicksburg Reg. Light Company
  • W. & M. Construction Company
  • Warren County Court House
  • West Biloxi Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • West Point Plant
  • West Point Works
  • Weyerhaeuser Paper Co.
  • White High School
  • Wicht Insulation Company, Inc.
  • Wood Preserving Corp
  • Worlitzer Piano Company
  • Wright Station
  • Wurlitzer Manufacturing. Company

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

    Cabrera-Santiago, Manuel et al. “Prevalence of Asbestos-Related Disease Among Electrical Power Generation Workers in Puerto Rico.” Presentation at American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, 2007.

  • 3

    Evans, David and Greg Johnstone. “Asbestos Use Companies and Locations in Mississippi.” All About Malignant Mesothelioma (September 2005.)

  • 4

    Krstev, S. et al. “Mortality Among Shipyard Coast Guard Workers: A Retrospective Cohort Study.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine 64 (October 2007): 651-8.