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Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in Nebraska

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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 Nebraska for 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 Nebraska.


01. Statistics

Asbestos and Mesothelioma Statistics in Nebraska

  • From 1999-2015, 260 Nebraska residents died from mesothelioma
  • Nebraska has a lower than average mesothelioma death rate of about 9 deaths per million annually (Source: CDC)
  • Since the state is on the rather geologically inactive Great Plains, there are no known natural deposits of asbestos (Source: USGS)
  • Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties have had the highest incidence of asbestos-related disease in the state (Source: CDC)
02. Asbestos in Workplaces

Asbestos Use Across Nebraska Industries

Despite the lack of natural asbestos, Nebraskan workers have still suffered from asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma because of its heavy use in several industries.

Power Plants:

Across the country, power plants heavily used asbestos in their machinery and facilities because of its heat resistance. Since processes in power plants have the chance to produce fire or even internally combust, asbestos seemed like a good solution to help avoid these problems. Plants like the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility were known to use asbestos. A 2007 study examining 1,100 power plant workers found 13% to have evidence of asbestos diseases.

Military:

Veterans in every branch of the military face a high risk of asbestos exposure. The mineral was used frequently in bases, and especially in navy vessels and shipyards. Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha and the Lincoln Air Force Base are two sites of many around the country where asbestos exposure was a serious risk.

Manufacturing:

Regardless of the products being made, countless manufacturers used asbestos and other hazardous materials in building their facilities and equipment. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Weaver Potato Chips, both based in Lincoln, produce vastly different goods but both have documented instances of asbestos exposure.

Breweries:

Though there is no need to worry about asbestos in the beer itself, many brewing companies in the nation unfortunately contain asbestos in their walls and equipment. Since many were founded years ago during the height of asbestos use in America, the toxin could be found in many materials. Fremont, Fred Krug and Storz brewing companies in Nebraska are a few instances where exposure has occurred.

03. Superfund Sites

Asbestos Superfund Sites and Shipyards in Nebraska

Fortunately, Nebraska does not have any prior or current sites included on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund list for asbestos contamination. But even though sites weren’t included on the list specifically, there have been 28 sites investigated by the EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) because of asbestos concerns.

Western Minerals Products

In Omaha, the Western Minerals Products was one prominent site selected for evaluation by the ATSDR’s National Asbestos Exposure Review in 2004. The process entails investigations of over 200 sites around the country that have been affected by vermiculite ore that was mined from Libby, Montana. The Western Minerals Products worksite was an exfoliation facility and began processing Libby vermiculite in the 1940s. In 1967, W.R. Grace and Company purchased the facility and operated there until 1989. Throughout that time, the facility was one of the highest volume processors for the company. In 2000, the EPA took samples of the surrounding soil and found trace levels of asbestos. Further investigation also found signs of asbestos on the rail spurs around the site and in some adjacent buildings. ATSDR, however, doesn’t see a large risk for employees at the site past the 1989 sale from W.R. Grace, since the site was cleaned and tested for asbestos fibers before transfer of ownership.

04. Exposure in Cities

Nebraska Cities with Asbestos Problems

Provided below is a list of cities in the state of Nebraska 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 Nebraska Job Sites

Beyond the major cities and towns in Nebraska, asbestos exposure has also occurred at a number of other job sites. Select a town to see the list of its work sites where asbestos exposure occurred. Asbestos exposure at any one of the sites revealed could put a worker at risk to develop pleural mesothelioma.

Nebraska Directory of Asbestos Work Sites

Select a city to see a list of work sites where asbestos exposure occurred.

, Nebraska Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

  • Ace Drywall Company
  • Ag Processing, Inc.
  • Alger Corporation Warehouse
  • Alliance Municipal Electric System
  • Alliance Power Plant
  • Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation
  • Allied Chemical Corporation
  • Allied Mills, Inc.
  • American Beet Sugar Company
  • American Crystal Sugar
  • American Loan and Trust Company
  • American Smelting and Refining Company
  • Anderson Electric
  • Armour and Company
  • Armour and Company
  • Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (ACandS, Inc.)
  • Aultman Company
  • Beatrice Creamery Company
  • Behlen Manufacturing Company
  • Best Laundry Cleaners
  • Beth Israel Synagogue
  • Bishop Clarkson Memorial Hospital
  • Blue Chip Auto Company
  • BNSF Havelock Railway Shops
  • Board of Public Works City of Hastings
  • Boiler Burner Equipment Company
  • Briggs, Inc.
  • Bryant Air Conditioning, Heating, Electrical & Plumbing Co.
  • Budahy Packing Company
  • Burn-Zol, Inc.
  • C W Burdint Plant
  • C. G. Johnson Boiler Company
  • Campbell Soup Company
  • Canaday Station
  • Canaday Steam Plant
  • Castle Hotel
  • Ceco Steel Products Corporation
  • Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District
  • Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District
  • Central Power Company
  • Chaney Furnace Company
  • Charles T. Vaughn, Inc.
  • Chris’s Hatchery
  • City Light Plant
  • City of Fremont Department of Utilities
  • City of Omaha Purchasing Department
  • City Power Plant
  • City Sand Drier
  • Climate Control, Inc.
  • Cominco Products Company
  • Consolidated Steel Corporation
  • Construction Specialties, Inc.
  • Consumers Cooperative
  • Consumers Public Power Company
  • Consumers Public Power Dist
  • Consumers Public Power Distributors
  • Consumers Public Power District
  • Cooper Nuclear Power Plant
  • Corn Derivatives Company
  • Cornhusker Heating & Air Conditioning
  • Cornhusker Motor Club
  • Cornhusker Ordinace Plant
  • Cudahy Packing Company
  • Cuming County Public Power
  • Deere and Company
  • Department of The Navy Naval Ammintion
  • Department of Utilities
  • Douglas County Hospital
  • Drake Court Historic District
  • Drake-Williams Steel, Inc.
  • Ehrling-Bergquist Clinic, Offutt Air Force Base
  • ExxonMobil
  • F. L. O’Neill Company
  • Fairmont Creamery Company
  • Falstaff Brewing Corporation
  • Farm Credit Building
  • Fel-Tex
  • Ferer Aaron & Sons
  • First National Bank of Omaha
  • First United Methodist Church
  • Foreman Brothers, Inc.
  • Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant
  • Frank J. Merwald & Sons, Inc.
  • Frazier Company, Inc.
  • Fremont Brewing Company
  • Fremont City of Dept/Utilities
  • Fremont Department of Utilities
  • Fremont Gas and Electric Light Company
  • Gas Pipe Line Company of America
  • Gateway Manor
  • General Electric
  • Gerald Gentleman Station
  • Gifford Grain
  • Girdler Corporation
  • Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
  • Grand Island Power Plant
  • Grand Island Utilities Department
  • Grand Island Water and Light
  • Great Western Cereal Company
  • Greater Omaha Packing Company, Inc.
  • Hallam Nuclear Power Facility
  • Hallam Nuclear Power Facility
  • Hallam Nuclear Power Plant
  • Hallan Power Plant
  • Hartley Elementary School
  • Hastings Municipal Power Plant
  • Hastings Utilities Dept
  • Hilton Omaha
  • Hiram Scott College
  • Insulation Industries, Inc.
  • Iowa Valley Sugar Company Inc.
  • Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company
  • Irving Middle School
  • J.J. Parks Trucking, Inc.
  • Jack Finely Mason Contractor
  • Jack Perry Plumbing
  • JBS Swift & Company
  • Jensen A O Company
  • Jones Street Power Station
  • Kansas-Nebraska Natural Gas Company
  • Kellogg Company
  • Kiewit Plaza
  • Kingfalfa Mills
  • Kitty Clover Foods
  • Kramer Power House
  • Kramer Power Plant
  • L. M. Marcum Company
  • L.D. Wright Steam Plant
  • Land Paving Company
  • Lincoln Air Force Base
  • Lincoln Gas and Electric Light Company
  • Lincoln General Hospital
  • Lincoln Municipal Airport
  • Lincoln Traction Company
  • Loup River Public Power District
  • Loup River Public Power District
  • Loup River Public Power District
  • Lutheran Medical Center
  • M. E. Smith & Company Warehouse
  • Marriott Cornhusker Hotel
  • Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital
  • Master Electronics Corporation
  • Methodist Hospital
  • Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital
  • Metropolitan Utilities District Water Treatment Plant
  • Midwest Asbestos Company
  • Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
  • Montgomery Ward Company
  • Municipal Power Plant
  • Municipal Power Plant
  • National Dehydrating Company
  • National Starch Company
  • Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America
  • Neb City Brick & Tile Company
  • Neb Water Works
  • Nebraska City Brick & Tile Company
  • Nebraska City Water Andlight Company
  • Nebraska Power & Light Company
  • Nebraska Power Company
  • Nebraska Public Power Dist
  • Nebraska Public Power District
  • Nebraska Public Power District
  • Nebraska Public Power District
  • New Omaha, Thompson, Houston Electric Light Company
  • New Union Station
  • New York Life Insurance Company
  • North Dakota Power & Light
  • North Omaha Power Station
  • North Platte Plumbing & Heating
  • Northern Gas Products Company
  • Northern Natural Gas Company
  • Northwestern Iron and Metal Company
  • Norton Gregson Company
  • Norton Lab
  • Offutt Air Force Base
  • Offutt Air Force Base
  • Olson Brothers, Inc.
  • Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway
  • Omaha Electric Light and Power Company
  • Omaha Gas Company
  • Omaha Gas Works
  • Omaha Hardwood Lumber Company
  • Omaha Packing
  • Omaha Public Power District (O.P.P.D.)
  • Omaha Public Power District Power Station
  • Omaha Steam Electric Station
  • Otoe Food Products Company
  • Oxnard Cons Company
  • Pacific Fruit Express
  • Packaging Corporation of America
  • Paul Davie & Sons Company
  • Peter Kiewit & Sons, Inc.
  • Peterson Parking Garage
  • Philips Petroleum Fertilizer Plant
  • Puritan Manufacturing, Inc.
  • Quaker Oats Company
  • Ray Martin Company
  • Rosborough Fire Brick & Supply Company
  • Rybin Plumbing & Heating Company
  • Schaefer Oil Company
  • Scottsbluff Packing Company
  • Scottsbluff Sugar Company
  • Sealtest Foods, Division of National Dairy Products
  • Sears, Roebuck & Company
  • Sheldon Station
  • Sierra Talc and Clay Company
  • Sinclair Refining Company
  • Skinner Packing Company
  • Sperry Electric Light Company
  • St. Francis Hospital
  • St. Joseph’s Hospital
  • Storz Brewing Company
  • Swift & Company
  • The Pershing Center
  • U.S. Post Office & Garage
  • U.S. Supply Company
  • Union Pacific Coal Company
  • Union Pacific Railroad Company
  • Union Pacific Railroad Company
  • Union Pacific Railroad Company
  • Union Pacific Railroad Company
  • Union Pacific Railroad Company
  • United Benefit Life Insurance Company
  • United Electric Company
  • United Gas Services
  • United States Naval Ammunition Depot
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Upjohn Company
  • Vaughn Insulation Company
  • Vaughn Insulation Company
  • Water & Light Company
  • Weaver’s Potato Chip Company, Inc.
  • Western Brick & Supply Company
  • Western Electric Company
  • Willow Springs Distilling Company
  • Wilson & Company
  • Zurn Industries, Inc

Find Mesothelioma Doctors, Lawyers and Asbestos Exposure Sites Near You

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

    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.

  • 2

    EWG Action Fund. “W. R. Grace Hotspots in Nebraska.” Environmental Working Group, 1 June 2005.