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Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure in Kansas

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Jennifer Lucarelli Lawyer and Legal Advisor

If you live in the state of Kansas 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 Kansas, we have provided statistics about asbestos and mesothelioma in the state.


01. Statistics

Kansas Mesothelioma and Asbestos Statistics

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

  • From 1999-2015, 328 Kansas residents died from mesothelioma
  • Kansas has a slightly below average mesothelioma death rate of about 6.9 people per million annually (Source: CDC)
  • There are 3 naturally occurring asbestos deposits known to exist in Kansas (Source: USGS)
  • Mesothelioma incidence is highest in the eastern part of Kansas, near Kansas City (Source: Journal of the American Medical Association)
02. Asbestos in Workplaces

Asbestos Exposure in Kansas Workplaces

Landlocked in the Midwest, Kansas does not have any shipyards, but there are plenty of other places where workers have been exposed to asbestos within the state.

Chemical Factories:

One of the most serious sites of asbestos exposure in the state belongs to Farmland Industries in Dodge City. This process most likely used crocidolite (“blue” asbestos), which in addition to resisting heat and electricity is also resistant to caustic chemicals. Several other chemical plants throughout Kansas also have been known to expose employees to asbestos, including Harcros Chemical Company in Kansas City, Dupont Chemical in Topeka, and Vulcan Chemical in Wichita.

Oil Refineries:

Kansas has a number of oil refineries that have led to asbestos exposure for workers. Asbestos was often used to contain and prevent fires in volatile environments, and employees have been exposed at a number of known locations, including Co-Op Oil Refinery in Lawrence, Apco Oil Corporation in Arkansas City, and Texaco Oil in El Dorado. El Dorado was also home to Frontier Oil, which is one of the worst job sites for exposure to asbestos in the state.

Power Plants:

All over the State of Kansas, and the U.S. as a whole, power plants have historically caused lots of asbestos exposure for those who worked there, given the material’s use as insulation against electricity and heat. One of the most significant power facilities to expose its employees to asbestos was Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Burlington. Other notable sites include Coffeyville Municipal Light & Power, Sunflower Electric Corporation, and Kansas Power & Light.

Salt Production:

One of the most abundant natural resources in Kansas is salt, and the city of Hutchinson has been a center for this much-used commodity. Some of this salt is processed for use as table salt, while much of it may be used as rock salt for roads in northern states during the winter. Asbestos could be found in various machinery and components used in the salt mining and manufacturing process. Some known salt companies to expose workers to asbestos include Barton Salt Company, Carey Salt Company and Morton Salt Company, all of which were located in Hutchinson.

03. Superfund Sites

Asbestos Superfund Sites in Kansas

While Kansas is home to a number of Superfund sites that have required cleanup due to contamination from oil, chemicals, and heavy metals, one site in particular is notable for its use of asbestos.

Farmland Industries Plant

While the company was based in Kansas City, MO, Farmland Industries was at one time the largest agricultural cooperative in the U.S., and it held a number of sites throughout Kansas State. One of those was a chemical plant that primarily processed ammonia for use in fertilizer. Because asbestos helps to protect against chemical reactions, it has often been used in laboratories and processing plants, and the Farmland Industries plant was no exception. In 2004, Kansas Department of Health supervised a massive cleanup effort that included asbestos abatement at the site.

04. Exposure in Cities

Kansas Cities with Known Asbestos Exposure

Learn more about asbestos exposure in the major towns and cities of Kansas 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 Exposure at Smaller Kansas Sites

Asbestos exposure is also a problem if you look beyond the major cities and towns in Kansas. 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.

, Kansas Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

  • Acme Brick Company
  • Adamson Manufacturing Company
  • Air Traffic Control Center
  • Ajax Portland Cement Company
  • Alcorn Combustion Company
  • AlliedSignal, Inc.
  • Am. Dressed Beef and Provisions Company
  • American Cornice Works
  • American Messer Liquid Helium Plant
  • American Service Company
  • American Walnut Company
  • American Water Works Company
  • Amoco
  • Amoco Hugoton Jayhawk Gas Plant
  • Amoco Products Ulysses Gasoline Plant
  • Apco Oil Corporation
  • Aquila, Inc.
  • Archer Daniels Midland
  • Argonant Realty Div GMC
  • Arkansas City Packing Company
  • Arkansas City Refinery
  • Armco Steel
  • Armour & Company
  • Armour and Company
  • Armstrong Cont & Supplies
  • Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (ACandS, Inc.)
  • Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (ACandS, Inc.)
  • Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (ACandS, Inc.)
  • Ashgrove Lime & Portland Cement Company
  • Atchison Revolving Door Company
  • Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (AT&SF) Railway Company
  • Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
  • Barton Salt Company
  • Beech Aircraft Corporation
  • Bendix Aviation Company
  • Bethlehem Supply Company
  • Blair Milling Company
  • Board of Commissioners of Kansas City
  • Board of Public Utilities
  • Board of Public Utilities City of Kansas City
  • Boeing Aerospace Operations, Inc.
  • Bradford Supply Company
  • Brooks Magnet Middle School
  • Buckley Industries
  • Buckley Industries
  • Buffalo Grape Sugar Company
  • Buick Oldsmobile Pontiac Assembly Div
  • Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company
  • Burn Zol Company Inc
  • Burn-Zol
  • Burn-Zol, Inc.
  • Bushton Hydrocarbon Plant
  • C.F. & Y. Building
  • Callery Chemical Company
  • Capitol Federal Savings Bank
  • Carey Salt Company
  • Centel Electric
  • Central Kansas Power Company
  • Central Telephone & Utility
  • Centric Corporation
  • Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center
  • Certain Teed
  • Cessna Aircraft Company
  • Cessna Fluid Power Company
  • Chanute Cerment Clay Products Company
  • Chanute Electric Dept
  • Chanute Manufacturing Company
  • Chemical & Mineral Company
  • Chemical Const Corp
  • Chemical Plant
  • Chemical Plant
  • Cimarron River Station
  • CITGO
  • Cities Service Oil and Gas
  • Cities Service Oil Company
  • City of Chanute Electric Dept.
  • City of Coffeyville
  • City of Larned
  • City of Mcpherson
  • Civic & Cultural Center
  • Cloride Ceramics Company
  • Co-Op Fertilizer
  • Co-Op Oil Refinery
  • Co-Op Refinery
  • Coffeyville Municipal Light & Power
  • Colgate-Palmolive Company
  • Commerce National Bank
  • Concordia Electric Light Company
  • Consol Electric Light and Power Company
  • Consolidated Edison (ConEdison, Inc.)
  • Construction Plastics Inc
  • Continental Can
  • Cooperative Farm Chemicals Association
  • Cooperative Refinery Association
  • Corn Products Refining Company
  • Crede Foundry
  • Cudahy Packing Company
  • Cutler Repaying Assoc
  • Del Monte Foods
  • Del Monte Foods
  • Delco Battery Operations
  • Delphi Automotive Systems
  • Derby Oil Company
  • Derby Refinery
  • Derby Refining Company
  • Dick Long, Inc.
  • Dickey Clay
  • Dodge City Powerhouse
  • Douglas Housing Project
  • E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont)
  • E. I. Dupont De Nemours & Company
  • E.B. Badger Company
  • East Side Disposal Plant
  • Edison Light & Power Company
  • Empire District Electric Company
  • Empire District Powerhouse
  • Empire Gas and Fuel Company
  • Emporia Railway Lt Company
  • Emporia State Teachers College
  • Enron Gas Processing
  • Erman Corporation
  • Esmark, Incorporated
  • Exxon
  • Fairbanks Morse & Company
  • Fairfax Industries Distribution
  • Farm Belt Fertilizer Company
  • Farm Land Industries
  • Farmland Industries
  • Farmland Industries Chemical
  • Farmland Industries, Inc.
  • Farmland Industries, Inc.
  • Fine Arts Center
  • First National Bank Building
  • FMC Corporation
  • Foor Engineering Company
  • Forbes Field Air National Guard Base
  • Fort Dodge Plant
  • Fort Leavenworth
  • Fort Riley
  • Frick-Reid Supply Company
  • Frito Lay, Inc.
  • Frontier Chemical Company
  • Frontier Chemical Company
  • Frontier El Dorado Refining Company
  • Frontier Oil Kansas
  • G. K. Warehouse
  • Gaines Foods, Inc.
  • Garden City Company
  • Garden City Municipal Utilities/Municipal Plant
  • Geiger A M Cement Company
  • General Aluminum Smelting Company
  • General Foods Corporation
  • General Motors Corporation
  • Getty Refining and Marketing
  • Globe Oil Refining Company
  • Good John Sash and Door Company
  • Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Inc.
  • Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
  • Griffin Wheel Company
  • Grindstead
  • Gulf Chemical
  • Gulf Oil Company
  • Gulf Refinery
  • Habitats, Inc.
  • Hall and Dillon
  • Hallmark Cards
  • Hallmark Cards, Inc.
  • Halsey-Tevis, Inc.
  • Halsey-Tevis, Incorporated
  • Harcros Chemical Company
  • Harley Industries, Inc.
  • Helium Plant
  • Hercules Power Company, Inc.
  • Hill’s Pet Nutrition
  • Hinde & Dauch Paper Company
  • Holt Plumbing Company
  • Hospital Fort Leavenworth
  • Howard Johnson’s
  • Hutchinson Hospital Corp
  • Huxtable Hammond
  • Huxtable-Hammond Company, Inc.
  • Hydrocarbon Transportation
  • ICL Performance Products, LP
  • Illinois Power and Light Corp
  • Independent Manufacturing Company
  • Independent Oil & Gas
  • Indian Springs Shopping Center
  • Insulation Industries, Inc.
  • International Harvester
  • International Milling Company
  • Iola Water Plant
  • Iowa Beef Processors, Inc
  • Irwin Army Hospital
  • J.C. Lysle Milling Company
  • J.F. Pritchard Company
  • J.R. Kelly Cooperage
  • John Morrell & Company
  • K.C. Structural Steel
  • Kanotex Refining Company
  • Kansas Army Amunition Plant
  • Kansas Chemical Manufacturing Company
  • Kansas City Abrasive Company
  • Kansas City Airport
  • Kansas City Board of Public Utilities
  • Kansas City Corrugated Plant
  • Kansas City Electric Light Company
  • Kansas City Library
  • Kansas City Packing Box Company
  • Kansas City Power & Light
  • Kansas City Power & Light Company
  • Kansas City Power & Light Company
  • Kansas City Power & Light Company
  • Kansas City Power and Light
  • Kansas City Refinery
  • Kansas City Southern Railroad
  • Kansas City Structural Steel
  • Kansas City Water and Light Department
  • Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway Company
  • Kansas Electric Utilities Company
  • Kansas Gas & Electric
  • Kansas Gas & Electric Company
  • Kansas Gas & Electric Company
  • Kansas Gas and Electric Company
  • Kansas Ice and Storage Company
  • Kansas Milling Company
  • Kansas Ordnance Plant
  • Kansas Power
  • Kansas Power & Light Company
  • Kansas Power & Light Company
  • Kansas Power & Light Company
  • Kansas Power Company
  • Kansas Sand Company
  • Kansas State Agricultural College
  • Kansas State Capitol
  • Kansas State University
  • Kansas University
  • Katy Railroad
  • Kaw Power Station
  • Kaw Valley Drainage District
  • Kaw Valley Powerhouse
  • Keas Drilling Company
  • Kelley-Moore Paint Company
  • Kendall Plumbing Company
  • KG & E building (currently The Lux)
  • Kinsler Plant
  • Knop Ordinance Plant
  • KP&L Powerhouse
  • Krause Plow Corporation
  • L F M Manufacturing Company
  • L. M. Marcum Company
  • L’Air Liquide SA
  • La Mo Refractory Supply
  • Lake Shawnee Development
  • Larned Electric Light Dept
  • Larned State Hospital
  • Lawrence Paper Company
  • Lawrence Powerhouse
  • Leavenworth Light Heat and Power Company
  • Leavenworth Military Base
  • Leavenworth Water Company
  • Lehigh Portland Cement
  • Liberal Ice Light and Power Company
  • Lincoln School
  • Linde Welding Gas and Equipment Center
  • Lion Chemical Corporation
  • Liquid Carbonic Corporation
  • Lynde Walter Darby Corporation
  • Manhattan Country Club
  • Material Engineering Company
  • Maurer-Neuer Inc
  • MBPXL Corporation
  • McConnell Air Force Base (Missile Base)
  • Mcnally Pittsburg Office Building
  • Menninger Clinic
  • Metropolitan Water Company
  • Midwest Energy Inc
  • Midwest Grain Products, Incorporated
  • Midwest Solvents Company, Inc
  • Milk Producers Marketing
  • Missile Base
  • Missile Silos (various locations)
  • Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway
  • Mobil Oil Refinery
  • Modine Radiator
  • Morton Salt Company
  • Municipal Electric Light Department
  • Municipal Light Plant
  • Municipal Light Plant
  • Municipal Power Plant
  • Namsco Incorporated Hutchinson Plant
  • National Bank Building
  • National Co-Op Refinery Association
  • National Compreseo Steel
  • National Cooperative
  • National Farms Power Plant
  • National Helium Corporation
  • National Home For D.V.S.
  • National Linen Service Corporation
  • National Military Home
  • National Refining Company
  • National Zinc Company
  • Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America
  • Natural Refrigeration Company
  • Naval Air Station
  • Neosha City Junior College
  • Northern Gas Products
  • Northern Natural Gas Company
  • Nustar Energy
  • Occidental Chemical Corporation
  • OCF Corporation
  • Olathe Kansas Argonaut Realty Div GMC
  • Olin Corporation
  • Oneok Inc.
  • Owen Plant
  • Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation
  • Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation
  • Page Milk Company
  • Pan American Kinsler Plant
  • Pan American Pet Corporation
  • Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company
  • Parsons Ammunition Plant
  • Peet Brothers Manufacturing Company
  • Perk Foods
  • Pester Refining Company
  • Petroleum Products Company
  • Philadelphia Quartz Corp
  • Phillips Oil Refinery
  • Phillips Petroleum Company
  • Pittsburg State College
  • Plibrico Sales & Service Company
  • Poineer Cooperative Association
  • Power Plant
  • Power Service Corporation
  • Prairie Pipe Line Company
  • Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company
  • Pure Carbonic Corporation, Inc.
  • Quindaro Power Plant
  • Quindaro Power Station
  • Rea Patterson Milling Company
  • Red Cross
  • Red Star Milling Company
  • Retarded Childrens Center
  • Reynolds Plumbing, Inc.
  • Riverside Light
  • Riverton Powerhouse
  • Roots Connersville
  • Roxana Petroleum Corporation
  • Roxana Petroleum Corporation
  • Ryan Building Material Company
  • Safelite Glass Corporation
  • Saint Rose’s Hospital and School For Nurses
  • Salina Light Power and Gas Company
  • Salina Paper Manufacturing Company
  • Salina Supply Company
  • Santa Fe Power Plant
  • Sauder Tank Company Inc
  • Schilling Air Force Base
  • Schneider Industrial Supply
  • Schwarzschild and Sulzberger Company
  • Sealtest Central Division
  • Seaman High School
  • Sears, Roebuck & Company
  • Shell Petroleum Corporation
  • Sims Barrel Company
  • Sinclair Refining Company
  • Skelly Oil Company Refinery
  • Smoky Hill, Inc.
  • Soap Etc.
  • Socony-Vacuum Oil Company
  • Socony-Vacuum Oil Company
  • Sonken Galamba Corp
  • Spencer Chemical Company
  • Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
  • St Joseph Hospital
  • St. Benedict’s College
  • St. Mary’s Hospital
  • St. Marys College
  • Standard Oil Company
  • Standard Oil Company
  • Standard Rendering Company
  • Stormont Vail Hospital & Trauma Center
  • Strongheart Packing
  • Sulzberger and Sons Company
  • Sunflower Ammunitions Plant
  • Sunflower Ammunitions Plant
  • Sunflower Army Ordinance Works
  • Sunflower Electric Cooperative, Inc.
  • Sunflower Electric Corporation
  • Sunflower Electric, Fort Dodge Station
  • Sunflower Power Station
  • Sunshine Bakery
  • Superior Boiler
  • Swift & Company
  • Swift & Company
  • Tecumseh Energy Center
  • Tecumseh Film Plant
  • Tecumseh Power Project
  • Texaco Oil Refinery
  • Texaco Refining and Marketing
  • Thomas Ruddy Company
  • Thro Tholen Brothers
  • Topeka Edison Company
  • Topeka Insulation & Supply Company, Inc.
  • Topeka Presbyterian Manor
  • Topeka Veterans Affairs Hospital
  • Total Petroleum Inc.
  • Town of Abilene
  • Travenol Laboratories Inc
  • Trend Construction Corporation
  • TRW, Inc.
  • Tudeau Port Cement Company
  • U.S. By Products Company
  • U.S. Cold Storage Company
  • U.S. Penitentiary
  • Union Pacific Railroad
  • Union Station
  • United Power and Light Corp
  • United Power and Light Corporation
  • United States Army Hospital
  • United Water Gas and Electric Company
  • University of Kansas
  • University of Kansas Medical Center
  • Utilicorp United Inc
  • Utilicorp United Inc
  • V V F Llc
  • Veteran’s Association Wichita Regional Office
  • Vickers Petroleum
  • Vulcan Materials Company
  • Wadsworth Hospital/ Fort Leavenworth
  • Walters-Morgan, Inc.
  • Warwick Wax Refinery
  • Watkins, Inc.
  • Wesley Medical Center
  • West Indianola Elementary School
  • Westar Energy
  • Westar Energy–Murray Gill Energy Center
  • Western Kraft Paper
  • Western Light & Power Company
  • Western Light and Telephone Company
  • Western Light and Telephone Company
  • Western Petro Chemical Corp
  • Western Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
  • Western Power and Gas Company, Inc.
  • Western States Port. Cement Company
  • Westinghouse
  • Westnacom Chemical Plant
  • Westvaco Chemical
  • Westvaco Corporation
  • Westvaco Mineral Products
  • Wheatland Electric Cooperative
  • Whelan’s, Inc.
  • White Eagle Refrigeration Company
  • Wichita Gas Electric Light and Power Company
  • Wichita Gasoline Plant
  • Wichita Power Plant
  • Wichita Railway and Light Company
  • Wichita Water Company
  • Wilson and Company, Inc.

Find Mesothelioma Doctors, Lawyers and Asbestos Exposure Sites Near You

Find Mesothelioma Doctors, Lawyers and Asbestos Exposure Sites Near You