From the “Windy City” of Chicago in the northeast down to Madison County in the southwest, Illinois is a state that owes much of its success to heavy industry. Steel mills, manufacturing plants, and automobile factories are all well represented within the state. Though these industries have brought employers and jobs to the great state of Illinois, they have also brought an increased risk for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.
Illinois Plants and Industry
Illinois is considered to be the industrial epicenter of the Midwest. Chicago is especially notable for its strong ties to the steel and automotive industries. Within these manufacturing plants, asbestos was widely used for its insulation and fire-resistant properties. At Ford and General Motors manufacturing plants, asbestos was used in vehicle products such as brake pads.
Steel mills such as Inland Steel, Republic Steel, and Interlake Steel have also been linked to a heightened risk of asbestos exposure. Illinois oil refineries have been linked to mesothelioma as well, with notable employers that include Shell Oil, Sinclair, and Mobil.
Illinois Vermiculite Processing
W.R. Grace and Company is one of the most notorious companies when it comes to asbestos exposure. The company, which operated an asbestos mine in Libby, Montana, has undergone several federal trials concerning long-term negligence and cover-ups related to unsafe exposure to asbestos.
From 1974 to the 1990s, W.R. Grace shipped asbestos-contaminated vermiculite to a plant in West Chicago for processing. Due to the high amounts of asbestos fiber that were released into the air during processing, this region of West Chicago has been deemed an EPA Superfund site by the U.S. government. Both employees of the plant and those living in the surrounding area may have been exposed to high levels of asbestos.
Mesothelioma in Illinois
Mesothelioma lawyers at Simon, Eddins & Greenstone, LLP have significant experience when it comes to asbestos-related lawsuits in Illinois. Our mesothelioma attorneys have filed petitions in a number of high-risk Illinois regions, including Cook County, Grundy County and Madison County.
Illinois is bound by a number of unique mesothelioma state laws that require considerable knowledge and expertise. Contact us today to find out how our mesothelioma lawyers can help with your Illinois asbestos lawsuit.
Tags: asbestos, EPA, GM, Libby Montana, mesothelioma, vermiculite
I never thought of how much asbestos must have affected people who live in Illinois because of the steel and automotive industries. I’m very thankful that my parents, nor grandparents were ever exposed to asbestos. It’s a scary thing to think about, being diagnosed with any cancer, but especially Mesothelioma because it is an aggressive cancer.