History of Asbestos in Michigan
A number of Michigan's major industries have been linked to a heightened risk for asbestos exposure. Michigan's most famous industry, automobiles, used asbestos products as an insulator and flame retardant in brake pads and other vehicle components for much of the 20th century. The Ford Motor Company and General Motors are perhaps the most notable companies in the state for asbestos exposure. A mesothelioma diagnosis is also a concern for workers in ancillary auto plant facilities (spark plug manufacturers, engine production facilities, etc.).
Naturally occurring asbestos is also present in Michigan. Major areas of concern include Marquette, Ishpeming, Negaunee, Norway, Niagara and Iron Mountain. Additionally, the state operated five different asbestos processing plants from the 1960s to the late 1980s. Many of these products were shipped in from a W.R. Grace asbestos mine in Libby, Montana. Mesothelioma lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits against W.R. in Michigan and other states.
Michigan's many other heavy manufacturing industries may also pose a risk for prolonged asbestos exposure. Industries that use high levels of heat during the production process – steel mills, paper mills, chemical plants, nuclear power plants, etc. – are at risk.
Companies at Risk for Asbestos Exposure
The following list outlines Michigan companies and structures that have exposed workers or citizens to asbestos at one time or another. However, there are literally hundreds of worksites and locations that have been linked to asbestos in the state of Michigan. As such, the list is not comprehensive.
- AC Spark Plug
- AT&T
- A Tool And Gauge
- AAA Building in Saginaw
- Acands, Inc.
- ACME Insulation
- Allied Chemical
- American Box Board
- American Insulation Company
- American Motors
- Arkell Co. White Pine Copper Mine
- Armstrong Cork Company
- Avery Bakery
- AZ Schmina & Sons Plant
- Baker Perkins
- Banes Oxygen Furnace
- Bark Insulation
- Base Plant
- Battle Creek Community Hospital
- Bechtel Corp.
- Beech-Nut
- Behnke Plumbing
- Bell Telephone
- Bissell Plant
- Borden, Inc.
- Bourne Manufacturing
- Brand Insulation
- Briggs Manufacturing
- Bronson Methodist Hospital
- Brown Insulation
- Brunswick Corp.
- Bryan Manufacturing
- Buick Motor Division
- Cadillac Motors
- Capital Insulation
- Catalytic Combustion Corp.
- Celotex Corp.
- Champion Spark Plug Company
- Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
- Chevrolet Assembly Plants
- Children's Hospital Detroit
- Chrysler Plants
- City of Holland Powerhouse
- City of Marquette Powerhouse
- City of Wyandotte Powerhouse
- Coast Guard Station Hampton
- Cobo Hall
- Coldwater Powerhouse
- Consolidated Paper
- Consumers Power Plants
- Continental Motors
- Cool Nuclear Power Plant
- Coon Devisser
- Cooney Foundry
- Cross Manufacturing
- Crystal Falls Hospital
- D. Warren Paper Mill
- Dearborn Glass Plant
- Defoe Shipyard
- Detroit Arsenal
- Detroit Diesel Corp.
- Detroit Edison Plants
- Detroit Metro Water Dept.
- Dow Chemical Plants
- Dupont Chemical Plants
- East Harbor Beach Power Station
- EAD Corp.
- Eaton Foundry
- Elker Station
- Empire Iron Mining
- Enrico Ferm I Power Plant
- Ethyl Corp.
- Evans Products
- Excello Corporation Plant
- Fisher & Wright
- Fisher Body Plant
- Fletcher Oil
- Fletcher Paper
- Ford Motors Plants
- Gallagher Kaiser
- General Motors
- Georgia Pacific Co.
- Goller Heating
- Goodyear Tire
- Grace Hospital
- Grand Haven Power Plant
- Great Lakes Steel
- Hammond Machinery
- Haskelite Manufacturing
- Hercules Powder Co.
- Hollinger & Co.
- Industrial Metal Fabricators
- Johnson Insulation
- Kalamazoo Asbestos
- Kalamazoo Paper
- Kellogg Co.
- Kelsey Hayes
- Koegel Meats
- L&S Insulation
- Lakeway Chemical
- Leonard Refiinery
- Lincoln Division Assembly Plant
- Liquid Gas Plant
- Livernois Foundry
- MAC Spark Plug
- Manistee Paper Mill
- Manistee Salt Works
- Marathon Oil McClouth Steel
- Meade Paper
- Mercury Station Wagon
- Michigan Bell
- Mobil Oil
- Monsanto Chemical
- Moores Park Power Station
- Muskegon Boiler
- National Steel
- New Bissell Plant
- New York Central
- Niles Steel
- NYC Railroad
- Occidental Chemical Corp.
- Old Dutch Refinery
- OTT Chemical Plant
- Owens-Corning Fiberglass
- Palisades Nuclear
- Parke-Davis
- Peerless Cement
- Pennsalt Chemical
- Post Cereals
- R.H. Anderson
- Republic Mines
- Reynolds Aluminum
- Rilery Stoker
- River Rouge Power Plant
- Ruud Manufacturing
- Scott Paper
- Sement Solvey Plant
- Sims Powerhouse
- Smith Douglas
- St. Clair Power Plant
- State Capital Complex
- Stauffer Chemical
- Stroh's Brewery
- Superior Oil
- Sutherland Paper
- Tank Arsenal Boiler
- Taylor Supply
- Teledyne Plant
- Turbo Tool
- Turner Brooks
- U.S. Rubber
- Underwriter Labs
- Union Carbide
- Uniroyal
- University of Michigan
- Vernors Plant
- Vlasick Pickle
- Vroom Packaging
- Warren Paper Mill
- Water Street Siding
- Wayne State University
- West Michigan Steel
- Western Railroad
- Westinghouse Electric
- Weyerhauser Paper
- White Pine Copper
- Winkel Machine
- Wurtsmith Air Force Base
- Wyandotte Chemicals
- Wyandotte Powerhouse
- Zonolite Co. W.R. Grace
Asbestos-related Deaths in Michigan
Due to Michigan's high level of heavy industry, the state posts a higher probability for mesothelioma when compared to the national average. Presently, the state ranks 12th among all U.S. states in terms of mesothelioma death rates. Between 1979 and 2000, a retroactive study concluded that 823 to 1,377 Michigan residents died from mesothelioma. Additionally, another 329 deaths for that same time period have been attributed to asbestosis.
In 1999, the U.S. government instituted more precise record-keeping criteria for tracking mesothelioma deaths. Between the years of 1999 and 2004, these records show that 558 Michigan residents died from mesothelioma.
Where to Find Help
If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos fibers from a previous employer or other source, then it is recommended that you seek treatment from an experienced mesothelioma doctor. Even if you have not exhibited any symptoms of the illness, those who experienced asbestos exposure are advised to receive routine mesothelioma check-ups. The earlier the illness is diagnosed, the more treatment options that will be available.
Mesothelioma Treatment Centers in Michigan:
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Wayne State University School of Medicine
4100 John R
Detroit, Michigan 48201
Patient Information: 800-KARMANOS
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Michigan
1500 East Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0942
Patient Information: 734-936-1831
Seton Cancer Institute
St. Mary’s of Michigan
800 South Washington Avenue
Saginaw, MI 48601-2524
Patient Information: 989-907-8000
Michigan Mesothelioma Attorney
Simon, Eddins & Greenstone, LLP, is a law firm that has fought hard for the rights of countless mesothelioma patients across the United States. Our team of mesothelioma lawyers is knowledgeable in Michigan law and has a track record that includes several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for previous clients.
To speak with an experienced mesothelioma attorney about your Michigan case, we invite you to contact us at 866-632-7574. Even if you don't know when or where in Michigan you were exposed to asbestos, we may be able to help build a case for you.