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Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in Minnesota

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Jennifer Lucarelli Lawyer and Legal Advisor

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


01. Statistics

Minnesota Mesothelioma and Asbestos Statistics

  • From 1999-2015, 971 Minnesota residents died from mesothelioma
  • Minnesota has a mesothelioma death rate of about 11 people per million annually (Source: CDC)
  • Carlton, St. Louis and Dakota counties in Minnesota all ranked among the top 50 counties in the nation with the highest mesothelioma death rates from 2000 – 2009 (Source: CDC)
  • Minnesota has two known sites of natural asbestos deposits found in Aurora and the Eastern Mesabi regions (Source: USGS)
02. Asbestos in Workplaces

Asbestos Use Across Minnesota Industries

Much of Minnesota’s economy relied heavily on industries that used asbestos in their equipment or facilities. Many workers also faced potential exposure through the vast amount of mining in the northeast region of the state.

Iron Mining:

Home to the region known as the Iron Range, Minnesota had a booming iron industry and opened several iron mines through the 1970s. When existing iron deposits started to deplete, the industry turned to taconite, a low-grade form of iron ore, to try to extract any available iron left. Taconite dust, however, contains asbestos-like fibers that have led to a high development of mesothelioma among taconite miners. A 5-year study on taconite miners recently released by the Minnesota Department of Health revealed that these miners had a risk three times higher than the state average.

Flour Mills:

Minneapolis became an important industrial city, especially for flour mills. In the late 19th century, dozens of flour mills opened and it became known as the “Flour Milling Capital of the World” for several decades. Big manufacturers General Mills and Pillsbury both opened factories in Minneapolis and remain there today. Unfortunately, many of these facilities, including the two owned by these well-known brands, used asbestos materials in their construction and equipment.

Oil Refineries:

Koch Petroleum Group, located near the Twin Cities, and Marathon Refinery in Saint Paul, are no exclusion to the number of oil refineries across the country that used asbestos. Today, however, the oil refinery owned by Koch Industries is now known as the Pine Bend Refinery and has even won several awards for environmental safety. What was once a prime example of a “big, bad oil company” that improperly disposed of various wastes is now an example of a refinery focused on environmental and public health safety which can set the tone for a needed change throughout the industry.

Power Plants:

Power plants are an asbestos hazard throughout the United States, since the mineral was viewed as an ideal protectant against the possibility of combustion and fires at these facilities. Sherco Power Plant, Sherburne County Power Station and Municipal Power Plant are only a handful of many power plants in Minnesota that put workers at risk.

03. Superfund Sites

Asbestos Superfund Sites in Minnesota

Two sites in Minnesota were added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund List for asbestos concerns among other environmental problems. Both sites went through extensive cleanup efforts and have since been taken off the Superfund List.

Agate Lake Scrapyard

Located in Cass County on the shores of Agate Lake, the 8-acre Agate Lake Scrapyard was operated from 1952 to 1982. The site served as a scrapyard for metals and scrap iron, which contaminated the soil and groundwater over time. The various construction wastes that were also disposed of at this site included asbestos pipe insulation. The site was added to the Superfund list in 1986, and was later removed in 1997 after extensive cleanups and further evaluations.

Olmsted County Sanitary Landfill

The Olmsted County Sanitary Landfill in Oronoco began operations in 1984, after being owned by the City of Rochester 1972. When the landfill began operating in 1984, it accepted a wide variety of industrial waste including asbestos materials and solvents. The wastes were not disposed of properly, however, and seeped into the surrounding soil and groundwater. The EPA added the site to its Superfund list just two years after the landfill took over the space. In 1994, the county capped the landfill and installed a waste management system. The site was taken off the list in 1995, and has been occupied by a local model airplane club since 2008.

04. Exposure in Cities

Minnesota Cities With Asbestos Exposure

Provided below is a list of cities in the state of Minnesota where asbestos use in the workplace is known to have occurred. Click on a city below to see more detailed information about the specific job sites where asbestos exposure occurred.

05. Other Work Sites

Asbestos Exposure at Other Minnesota Job Sites

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

, Minnesota Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

  • 3M Company
  • A Booth and Company
  • A. H. Bennett Company
  • A. H. Bennett Company
  • A. W. Kuettel & Sons, Inc.
  • Abbott Northwestern Hospital
  • Ace Manufacturing, Inc.
  • Albert Lea Courthouse
  • Allan Black Company
  • Allen S King Station
  • Allis Chalmers Manufacturing Company
  • Altria Corporate Services, Incorporated
  • American Hoist & Derrick
  • American Hoist and Derrick Company
  • American Steel and Wire Company
  • Ammonia Plant
  • Anchor Hospital
  • Ancker Hospital
  • Anderson Corp
  • Anheuser Busch Inc
  • APi Group, Inc.
  • Archer Daniels Midland Company
  • Armour
  • Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (ACandS, Inc.)
  • Armstrong Cork Company
  • Asbestos Insulation & Supply Company
  • Asbestos Prod
  • Asbestos Products, Inc.
  • Asbestos Products, Inc.
  • Ashland Petroleum Refining
  • Aurora Iron and Mining Company
  • Aurora Steam Electric Plant
  • Austin Municipal Power Plant
  • Austin Utilities Northeast
  • Automobile Owners Tire Corporation
  • B.F. Nelson Manufacturing Company
  • Badger Foundry Company, Inc.
  • Baker Center
  • Baker Management Group, LLC
  • Barnes Riverside Shipyard
  • Becker Sherco Power Plant
  • Berg & Farnham Company
  • Bethany College
  • Bethel Home
  • Betheseda Hospital
  • Bethlehem Steel
  • Big Stone Lake Plant
  • Black Dog Generating Plant
  • Black Dog Generating Station
  • Blandin Paper Company
  • Blerke Tire and Rubber Company
  • Board of Contron State of Minn
  • Board of Education
  • Board of Municipal Water Works
  • Board of Public Works
  • Board of Water Electric & Gas
  • Bohr Refrigerator Company
  • Boise Cascade International
  • Boise Cascade Paper Mill
  • Breck School
  • Bridgeman – Russell Company
  • Broadway Power Plant
  • Buckbee Mears
  • Burn-Zol, Inc.
  • Busch Agricultural Resources
  • C. E. Wentworth and Company
  • Cargill, Inc.
  • Carley Foundry, Inc.
  • Carroll Charles Company
  • Cathedral High School
  • Champion International Corporation
  • Charter Inc
  • Chicago Nw Warehouse Dept
  • Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P)
  • Chs, Incorporated
  • City of Austin Utilities
  • City of St. Paul Water Works
  • City of Virginia Water & Light Commission
  • Clark Oil Refinery
  • Clay Boswell Power Station
  • Community Hospital
  • Community Memorial Hospital
  • Conoco Oil Refinery
  • Consumers Power Company
  • Container Corporation of America, Inc.
  • Conwed Corporation
  • Coon Rapids Middle School
  • Cretin High School
  • Cudahy Packing Company
  • Curtis Hotel
  • Cyprus North Shore Mining
  • Dairy Farmers of America
  • Dart & Kraft
  • Dayton Rogers of Minnesota, Inc.
  • Diamond Match Div
  • Donaldson’s
  • Dotson Company, Inc.
  • Douglas County Hospital
  • Dow Chemical Company
  • Duluth Air Force Base
  • Duluth and Iron Range Railroad Company
  • Duluth Board of Trade Building
  • Duluth Imperial Mill Company
  • Duluth Steam Corp
  • Duluth Street Railway Company
  • Duluth-Missabe Railroad
  • Dunwoody College of Technology
  • Dwyer Plumbing and Heating Company
  • E A Prairie Island
  • Eagle Roller Mill
  • Ecolab
  • Ed H. Anderson Company
  • Ed H. Anderson Company of Duluth
  • Elk River Power Plant
  • Elliott and Company
  • Erie Mining Company
  • Erie Mining Company
  • Fairview Hospital
  • Fargo-Moorhead Insulation Company
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
  • Fergus Falls Dairy
  • Fergus Falls Hospital
  • Film Pilot Plt
  • Fire & Marine Ins. Company Building
  • Fire Brick Supply Company
  • First National Bank
  • First National Bank of Minneapolis
  • Flament-Hampshire, Inc.
  • Fleischmann Malting Company
  • Florcure Company
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Fort Snelling
  • Franklin Heating Station
  • Fuel Economy Engineering Company
  • Gagnon Construction
  • General Electric Company
  • General Mills, Inc.
  • Geo C Howe
  • Geo. A. Homiel and Company
  • George Fuller
  • Georgia Pacific
  • Gillette
  • Golden Rule Department Store
  • Gopher Smelting & Refining Company
  • Gopher Smelting Company
  • Grandview Hospital
  • Great Northern Oil Company
  • Great Northern Oil Company
  • Great Northern Power Company
  • Great Northern Railroad
  • Great Northern Railway
  • Great River Energy Cooperative
  • Greyhound Lines, Inc.
  • H. R. Nichols Company
  • Hamms Brewing Company
  • Hastings State Hospital
  • Hays Insulation Co.
  • Heating Plant at St. Cloud State University
  • Hennepin County Government Center
  • Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center
  • Heritage Chemistry Building
  • Hibbing Public Utilities
  • Hickory Insulation Co., Inc.
  • High Bridge Power Plant
  • High Bridge Station
  • Highbridge Steam Plant
  • Hinkle, Greenleaf, and Company
  • Hoechst Celanese
  • Hoerner Waldorf Corporation
  • Honeymead Products
  • Honeywell International, Inc.
  • Hoot Lake Power Plant
  • Hoyt Lakes Power Plant
  • Hunkin, Arundal, Dixon
  • IDS Center
  • Insulation Sales Company
  • Interlake Iron
  • International Flax Twine Company
  • International Oil Refineries, Inc.
  • International Paper
  • International Refinery
  • Interstate Packing Company
  • Interstate Power Company
  • Itasca Paper Company
  • J.S. Porteous
  • J&L Steel
  • Jackson School
  • JCPenney
  • Jefferson School
  • Jewish Home for the Aged
  • John Plut Company
  • Johnston Manufacturing Company
  • Jos. T. Gilbert
  • Journal Printing Company
  • K-Mart
  • K.W. Insul., Inc.
  • Keuttle & Sons
  • King Power Plant
  • Koch Petroleum Minnesota
  • Koch Refining Company
  • Koch Refining Company
  • Kraft Foods Company
  • Kuettel Warehouse
  • KUOM Radio
  • L.L. Hansen residence
  • Lakeside Project Power Plant
  • Land O’Lakes, Inc.
  • Lindberg Engineering Co.
  • Linde Air Products Company
  • Linde Air Products Company
  • Logan School
  • Lowry Building
  • Ltv Steel Mining Company
  • Luger Furniture Company
  • Luger Furniture Company
  • Lumber Exchange Building
  • Lyceum Blding
  • Macalester College
  • Macalester College
  • Macarthur Company
  • Madonna Tower-Apartments
  • Manhattan L H and P Company
  • Manhattan Light H. and Power Company
  • Mankato Clinic
  • Mankato State College
  • Mankato State University
  • Marathon Refinery Minnesota
  • Married Students Housing
  • Marshall-Wells Company
  • Mayo Bros.
  • Mayo Clinic
  • Mechanical Construction Corporation
  • Medical Science Building
  • Merchants Bank Building
  • Mesaba Railway Company
  • Metropolitan Opera House
  • Midway Hospital
  • Miller Dwan Medical Center
  • Miller Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
  • Minkota Milling Company
  • Minneapolis Court House
  • Minneapolis Electric Steel Castings Company
  • Minneapolis Federal Building
  • Minneapolis Gas Light Company
  • Minneapolis General Electric Company
  • Minneapolis Public Library
  • Minneapolis Star Tribune
  • Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company
  • Minneapolis Street Railway Company
  • Minneapolis VA Hospital
  • Minneapolis Water Department
  • Minneapolis-Moline
  • Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
  • Minnegasco, Inc
  • Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad Company
  • Minnesota and Ontario Power Company
  • Minnesota Blue Cross Headquarters
  • Minnesota By Products Coke Company
  • Minnesota Linseed Oil Company
  • Minnesota Mazda Lamp Works of General Electric Company
  • Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M)
  • Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
  • Minnesota Mining Manufacturing Company
  • Minnesota Power & Light
  • Minnesota Power & Light
  • Minnesota Power & Light Company
  • Minnesota Power & Light Company
  • Minnesota State Correctional Facility
  • Minnesota State Prison
  • Minnesota Steel Company
  • Minnesota Transfer
  • Minnesota Veteran’s Home Complex, Laundry Building
  • Minntac
  • Mississippi Valley Public Service Company
  • Modern Plumbing & Heating
  • Montgomery Ward and Company
  • Monticello Nuclear Power Plant
  • Monticello Nuclear Power Plant
  • Monumental Sales
  • Moorhead Power Plant
  • Mount Sinai Hospital
  • Municipal Light and Power Plant
  • Municipal Power Plant
  • Municipal Power Plant
  • Municipal Power Plant Rochester
  • N-Ren
  • Nabisco, Inc.
  • New Ulm Public Utility Comm
  • New York Life Insurance Company
  • Norhtern Pacific Railway Company
  • North Atlantic Constructors
  • North St. Paul Table Company
  • North Star Steel Company
  • North Western Imp. Company
  • Northeast Bank
  • Northern City National Bank
  • Northern Pacific Railroad Company
  • Northern Pacific Railroad Company
  • Northern Pacific Railway Company
  • Northern Pacific Railway Company
  • Northern Pacific Railway Company
  • Northern Pacific Rr
  • Northern Pump Company
  • Northern States Power
  • Northern States Power
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northern States Power Company
  • Northwest Airlines
  • Northwest Engineering Laboratories
  • Northwest Paper Company
  • Northwest Paper Company
  • Northwestern Bell Telephone Company Building
  • Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company
  • Northwestern Fuel Company
  • Northwestern Grass Furn Company
  • Northwestern Improvement Company
  • Northwestern Paper Company
  • Norwest Bank
  • Ny City Insurance Company
  • NYCO, Inc.
  • Oliver Iron Mining Division
  • Ottertail Power Company
  • Owatonna Electric Company
  • Owatonna Power Plt
  • Owatonna Public Utilities
  • Owens-Illinois Glass Company
  • Paul W. Abbott Company, Inc.
  • Paul W. Abbott Company, Inc.
  • Paul W. Abbott Company, Inc.
  • Pillsbury Academy
  • Pine Bend Ammonia
  • Pine Bend Oil Refinery
  • Pioneer Brewing Company
  • Plymouth Building
  • Pohaki Lumber Company
  • Post Office & Customs, Elec. & Missile Fac.
  • Potlatch Corporation
  • Potlatch Corporation The Northwest Paper Company Div
  • Power Service Corporation
  • Praire Island Nuclear Power Plant
  • Prairie Island
  • Processed Potatoes, Inc.
  • Public Utilities Board
  • Public Utilities Commission
  • Quality Insulation Service
  • Quamco Job
  • R.B. Whitacre and Company Inc.
  • Radisson Hotel
  • Randolph M. N. & S.
  • Regina Hospital
  • Republic Creosoting Company
  • Reserve Mining Company
  • Reserve Mining Company
  • River Tower Apartments
  • Riverside Generating Plant
  • Rochester Community College
  • Rochester Electric Department
  • Rochester Public Utilities
  • Rock Tenn
  • Rogers Brocon Iron Company
  • Rural Co-Op Power Association
  • S. D. Warren Company
  • Sacred Heart Hospital
  • Saint Paul Water Department
  • Saint Teresa Institute
  • Sappi Fine Paper
  • Sartell Paper Company
  • Sauer Memorial Home
  • Sherburne County Generating Station
  • Sherburne County Power Station
  • Sherco Power Plant
  • Sheridan Hotel
  • Shoppe Plumbing & Heating Company
  • Silver Bay Power
  • Silver Lake Power Plant
  • Silver Lake Steam Generation
  • Sky Harbor Airport & Seaplane Base
  • Smeads Plant
  • Smith and Taylor
  • Smith-Sharpe Fire Brick Supply
  • South Side Lumber Co.
  • Southdale Shopping Center
  • Southern Minnesota Gas and Elec Company
  • St Paul and White Bear Railroad Company
  • St. Barnabas Hospital
  • St. Bonifacious
  • St. Cloud College
  • St. Cloud Power House
  • St. John’s Lutheran Church
  • St. Joseph’s Hospital
  • St. Joseph’s Hospital
  • St. Mary’s Hospital
  • St. Marys Hospital
  • St. Paul Ammonia Plant
  • St. Paul Bible College
  • St. Paul Cathedral
  • St. Paul City Railway Company
  • St. Paul Companies
  • St. Paul Gas Light Company
  • St. Regis Paper Company
  • St. Teresas Womens Res Hall
  • Standard Brands, Inc.
  • Standard Builders Supply
  • State Capital Building
  • State Hospital At Rochester
  • Staver Foundry
  • Stillwater State Prison
  • Stovall By Products Company
  • Stroh Brewery Company
  • Strutwear Knitting Company
  • Superior Wood Products Company
  • Superwood Corp
  • Swedberg Construction
  • Swift & Company
  • Swift and Company
  • Syndicate Block
  • Tevin City Rapid Transit Company
  • Toni Company
  • Transit Supply Company
  • Trussbilt
  • Twin Cities Arsenal
  • Twin Cities Cold Storage Company
  • Twin City Rapid Transit Company
  • U M D Job
  • U S Steel Ore Operations
  • U.S. Bank Plaza
  • U.S. Steel
  • Union Carbide Corporation
  • United States Bedding Company
  • United States Post Office
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
  • University of St. Thomas
  • Usg Interiors
  • Veterans Hospital
  • Vocational Technical High School
  • Vono Pipe Covering Company
  • W. A. Wood Harvester Company
  • W. I. Gray and Company
  • Waldorf Hoerner Paper Products Company
  • Waldorf Paper Products
  • Waldorf Paper Products Company
  • Waldorf Paper Products Company
  • Walter Butler Shipbuilders
  • Waste Water Treatment
  • Watab Pulp and Paper Company
  • Watkins Products
  • Wausau Paper Company
  • Wayzata School
  • WEG Electric Machinery Company, LLC
  • West Hopkins Junior High School
  • West Side Power Heat and Light Company
  • Western Mining
  • Whirl-Air-Flow Corporation
  • White Farm Equipment
  • Wilder Residences
  • William Brothers Boiler & Manufacturing Company
  • William H. Eustis Flour Exchange Building
  • Willmar Hospital
  • Willmar Mun Utility Comm
  • Willmar Municipal Power Plant
  • Willmar Municipal Utilities
  • Willmar Power Plant
  • Wilson & Company Inc
  • Winona Hospital – Community Memorial Hospital
  • Winona Malting Company
  • Winona Railway and Light Company
  • Winona State College
  • Winona State Hospital
  • Wisconsin Railway Light and Power Company
  • Wold-Chamberlain Field
  • Wolvin Building Company
  • Wood Conversion Company
  • Wrenshall Refinery
  • Xcel Energy
  • Xcel Energy
  • Zenith Furnace Company

Find Mesothelioma Doctors, Lawyers and Asbestos Exposure Sites Near You

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

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

  • 2

    Geological Research, Analyses and Services Programs. Naturally Occurring Asbestos Locations in the Contiguous U.S. and Alaska. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 25 May 2007.

  • 3

    Minnesota Department of Health. Six more cases of asbestos-related cancer identified in group of former mine workers. Press release, 20 June 2007.