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Asbestos in Michigan

Linda Molinari
Author: Linda Molinari
Jennifer Lucarelli
Last Updated: 11/12/2025

Michigan has a long history of asbestos use. This is partly because of its shipyards on the Great Lakes coasts and many manufacturing plants. Now, the state has the ninth highest number of mesothelioma deaths in the U.S. Learn more about asbestos exposure in Michigan and explore available resources.

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map of Michigan with image of asbestos company

Asbestos Use in Michigan

Asbestos use was common in Michigan for much of the 20th century. The state has major shipyards because it is centrally located in the Great Lakes region. It has often been considered the car manufacturing capital of the United States. Many industries in the state such as the construction and manufacturing sectors often used asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos exposure can cause serious illnesses like mesothelioma.

Michigan Asbestos Statistics

Michigan is part of the former Steel Belt. This was an area of heavy industry during the 20th century. Many of the states with the highest incidences of mesothelioma are in this area of the country. Before the 1980s, Michigan workers in auto manufacturing, shipyards, mining and construction worked with asbestos-containing materials for many decades. In 1970, Congress passed the first federal asbestos restrictions.

Currently, Michigan has higher rates of mesothelioma than most states.

  • From 1999 to 2020, Michigan had 2,553 cases of mesothelioma.
  • From 1999 to 2020, 2,068 Michigan residents died from mesothelioma.
  • Michigan has the ninth largest number of mesothelioma deaths in the United States.

Michiganders affected by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have local options for health care. The Rogel Cancer Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the Henry Ford Cancer Institute both specialize in mesothelioma care.

Patients may also have options for compensation to help pay for medical bills and other expenses. For example, they may be able to file lawsuits against companies responsible for asbestos exposures. Michigan mesothelioma law firms can help victims understand their legal options.

Occupational Asbestos Use in Michigan

Asbestos was commonly used in the daily operations of many industries. Military service members, auto factory workers, steel mill workers and shipyard workers in Michigan may have been exposed to asbestos during their careers.

Michigan is known for its status as a motor vehicle manufacturing center. Historically, the automobile industry has used asbestos in products like brake pads, clutches and gaskets. Lake Michigan also has shipyards where asbestos has been used heavily in the past. For many workers in asbestos companies, asbestos exposure was a daily reality.

Occupations Exposed to Asbestos in Michigan

Asbestos exposure can also occur outside of jobsites. Older homes and schools may have been built with materials like asbestos tiles and roofing. Do-it-yourself homeowners should hire an asbestos inspector if their home was built before the 1980s.

Exposure can also occur when a worker accidentally brings asbestos home on their clothes or hair. This is called secondary asbestos exposure and can lead to mesothelioma.

Automobile Factories

Detroit was the epicenter of the U.S. automotive industry. Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company in that city in 1903. Automobile plants were asbestos-heavy locations and represent many asbestos exposure sites in Michigan. Workers may have experienced exposure from products like brake pads, gaskets and insulation.

In addition to Ford, other Michigan car manufacturers exposed their employees to asbestos. General Motors, Chrysler Motors and Plymouth Motor Car also had factories that used asbestos in the state.

Steel Mills

Michigan built a number of steel mills, foundries and metalworking shops to support the car manufacturing industry. To offset the high heat involved in melting, molding and tempering steel, companies often used asbestos in protective gear and machines and in products used to manipulate metal.

Companies like American Car and Foundry Company, Michigan Steel Foundry and National Steel all had locations in Michigan.

Power Plants

Like many other states, Michigan’s power-generating facilities have exposed workers to asbestos. Power plant companies often used asbestos equipment for its heat resistance and durability. Jobsites like the Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant and Bridgeman Nuclear Plant are known to have used asbestos.

Oil Refineries

Michigan has a number of oil refineries and distribution hubs that used asbestos. Because fuel can be volatile, they often used asbestos to prevent or contain fires. Some known oil companies that have exposed their workers in Michigan include Citrin Oil Company and Marathon Oil Company.

Questions About Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure in Michigan? Ask experienced mesothelioma advocate Jennifer Lucarelli Ask a Question

Asbestos Shipyards and Superfund Sites in Michigan

Bordering four of five Great Lakes, Michigan has the most coastline of any inland state. This access to deep inland waters provides plenty of space for shipbuilding activities within the state and its immediate neighbors. With harbors, dry docks and shipyards, shipping and shipbuilding are major industrial concerns.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also designated many Superfund sites requiring intervention. These sites have toxic waste, asbestos and other contaminants. Old factories are common Superfund sites.

Defoe Shipyard

The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was founded in Bay City, Michigan, in 1905, as a manufacturer of wooden fishing boats. As the company grew, it began creating boats with gasoline engines, including two cruisers that the company sold to the U.S. Navy for use during World War I.

By the time World War II came about, Defoe was much larger and built more than 150 naval ships to participate in the war. In the post-war years, the company continued to build ships for the Navy. It also built commercial bulk freighters that operated on the Great Lakes shipping routes. During this entire period, asbestos was a standard material for nearly all shipbuilders.

In 1976, the company was forced to close after its contracts with the Navy began to run out.

Jesiek Brothers Shipyard

The Jesiek brothers started their shipbuilding business in 1901 on the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Throughout the early 1900s, the company built boats anywhere from 24 to 75 feet in length. In the lead-up to World War II, it built submarine chasers that helped patrol the Atlantic coast of the United States. The company also built tugboats for naval shipyards.

After the war, the company continued to produce many types of commercial and recreational boats, including ferries, yachts and other ships. The Jesiek Brothers Shipyard soon became the largest shipyard on Lake Michigan for servicing and docking.

Eventually, the company was sold and became Eldean Shipyard. Throughout its heyday, however, Jesiek Brothers Shipyard used asbestos in its boats, exposing shipbuilders and craftsmen to this dangerous carcinogen.

McLouth Steel Corporation

From 1948 to 1996, McLouth Steel operated on 273 acres along the Detroit River in Trenton until it filed for bankruptcy. Once the ninth largest steel factory in the nation, it employed nearly 5,000 workers at its peak and was a major producer of steel for automobiles in Detroit.

The EPA added the property to the National Priorities List in 2019. Working with the Department of Justice and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the EPA embarked on a $20 million cleanup on the southern 197 acres. They completed the initial cleanup in 2021.

The cleanup process included asbestos removal and the removal of thousands of containers of hazardous waste. Among the waste were asbestos-containing materials and other carcinogenic substances like polychlorinated biphenyls.

Asbestos Exposure in Michigan Cities

Learn more about asbestos exposure in the major towns and cities of Michigan by clicking on the links below. If you worked at any of the jobsites highlighted on these pages, it is possible that you may have been exposed to asbestos.

Asbestos Risks at Other Michigan Jobsites

Beyond the Michigan cities listed above, asbestos exposure has also occurred at numerous other jobsites in the state. Select a town to see the list of its work sites where asbestos exposure occurred. Asbestos exposure at any one of the sites listed below could put workers at risk of developing diseases like pleural mesothelioma.

Michigan Asbestos Work Sites
Sources

  1. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Naturally Occurring Asbestos Locations in the Contiguous USA and Alaska and the 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Counties.

  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC WONDER: About Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020.

  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC WONDER: United States and Puerto Rico Cancer Statistics, 1999-2021 Incidence Request.

  4. Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Michigan’s Resilient Coast.

  5. Detroit Historical Society. McLOUTH STEEL CORPORATION COLLECTION.

  6. The Detroit News. Historic shipbuilding in the Great Lakes.

  7. Detroit Regional Chamber. AUTOMOTIVE & MOBILITY.

  8. Lakeland Boating Magazine. A Wonderful Adventure.

  9. Military History of the Upper Great Lakes. Defoe Shipbuilding Company.

  10. News-Herald. Downriver leaders collaborate with EPA as work at former McLouth Steel plant continues.

  11. The New York Times. A STEEL COMPANY FIGHTS FOR ITS LIFE.

  12. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls.

  13. United States Environmental Protection Agency. MCLOUTH STEEL CORP TRENTON, MI.

  14. United States Environmental Protection Agency. NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) MCLOUTH STEEL CORP.

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Linda Molinari, Editor in Chief at Mesothelioma.com
Written by Linda Molinari Editor in Chief
Jennifer Lucarelli
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