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From foil to cars to spacecraft, aluminum is one of the most common materials used in daily life today. It’s valued for its durability, corrosion resistance and other traits, and it’s the third-most common element in the earth’s crust.
Before aluminum can be used, it must be extracted from bauxite ore. Doing so requires high heat and electricity levels. At one point, asbestos products were used in aluminum plants because asbestos is fire-resistant and is an electric and heat insulator. Further, it is non-corrosive and doesn’t react with other substances.
The asbestos was mixed into other substances, like cement powder, to be used as an insulator on reduction coils and ducts. The loose asbestos particles could be easily inhaled, which led to cases of mesothelioma. Further, asbestos was also used in work surfaces and even protective clothing in aluminum plants.
Workers were practically surrounded by asbestos, making the risk of developing mesothelioma much higher than normal.
When Was Asbestos Used in Aluminum Plants?
Asbestos was first discovered thousands of years ago, but large-scale mining and manufacturing began around the turn of the 20th century. Between 1920 and 1980, asbestos was used as an additive to construction materials in aluminum plants, exposing tens of thousands of workers to the substance.
The type of asbestos used at the smelting plants was mostly chrysotile asbestos. This is considered a “safer” type of asbestos than its counterpart, amphibole asbestos. This is because amphibole asbestos forms hard shards, while chrysotile asbestos are softer.
Both types of asbestos are relatively safe when they’re stable. But as the substance ages, it gets hard and brittle. It becomes friable and crumbles easily, sending microscopic fragments into the air — and into the bodies of workers.
Who Was Affected?
Though the carcinogenic nature of asbestos was discovered in the 1930s, the use of asbestos wasn’t phased out until the 1980s. By that time, nearly every person who had worked in an aluminum smelting plant had been exposed to asbestos, including:
- Supervisors
- Line workers
- Plumbers and electricians
- Lab technicians
- Office staff
- Maintenance workers
And more.
As the asbestos would get old and crumble, particles would be inhaled. These particles would permanently lodge themselves into the lining around internal organs called the mesothelium. As the asbestos particles irritated the mesothelium, scar tissue and/or cancer tissue would develop. This development is what causes asbestosis or, in some cases, mesothelioma.
Many workers from the 1970s and 1980s (and earlier) are only now discovering they have mesothelioma from asbestos exposure in aluminum plants. This is because mesothelioma can take up to 50 years to fully develop.
It wasn’t just the workers who were at risk for asbestos exposure. Family members were at risk for secondary exposure. Workers would have asbestos particles on their clothing, which could then get into the air at home and directly affect family members and anyone else who may come into contact with the worker.
Parts and Products That Used Asbestos at Aluminum Plants
As previously stated, asbestos is highly resistant to electricity and heat, and is non-corrosive and non-reactive. This made it an ideal substance to use in nearly all parts of the aluminum smelting process, where temperatures would regularly soar as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Asbestos would be used in the insulation mixture that lined:
- Generators
- Tanks
- Pipes
- Furnaces
- Cranes
- Broilers
- Ovens
And other equipment used in the smelting process.
It would also be used in some protective clothing to protect workers from the high heat. Asbestos could regularly be found in mitts, masks, aprons, pants and/or coats used by aluminum plant workers. Chemical-resistant tables were also manufactured with asbestos.
In short, any surface that needed to be heat-, electric- and/or chemical-resistant may have been manufactured with asbestos, affecting workers at every level within the aluminum plant.
Filing a Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Now that the effects of asbestos exposure in aluminum plants are being realized, mesothelioma lawsuits against the plants, as well as other parties, are becoming more common. If you or a loved one has developed mesothelioma after working in an aluminum plant, you have legal options.
Many of these aluminum plants have filed for bankruptcy. However, they may have set up a mesothelioma compensation fund, which pays out settlements to those who developed mesothelioma after working at the plant and meet other criteria.
You may also be able to file a lawsuit against the plant to recover compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. An experienced mesothelioma attorney can provide more information about all of your legal options.
Aluminum Plants Across the Country
By the 1980s, there were many large aluminum smelting plants across the United States, many of which were located in the western part of the country. Workers at these plants had a high risk of asbestos exposure and subsequent mesothelioma.
Some of the biggest plants, by state, included:
Arizona
- Anaconda Copper Mining Company: Founded in 1881, now owned by Marathon Petroleum, defunct in 1983
- Magma Copper Company: Organized in 1910, now owned by BHP Billiton Ltd.
California
- Alcan Aluminum Plant: Alcan founded in 1902, now owned by Rio Tinto. All North American plants owned by Genstar Capital
Montana
- Anaconda Aluminum Company and Copper Mining Company
New York
- Phelps Dodge Copper Plant: Phelps Dodge founded in 1834, defunct and bought by Freeport-McMoRan in 2007
Oregon
- Cascade Steel Rolling Mills: Plant opened in 1968 by Schnitzer Steel Industries, which was founded in 1906
Utah
- Kennecott Utah Copper LLC: A division of Rio Tinto (owner of Alcan), first formed in 1898
Washington
- Alcoa Aluminum (Vancouver and Wenatchee): Company founded in 1888, opened Washington plants in the mid-20th century
- Columbia Aluminum Products: Founded in 1947
- Harvey Aluminum: Plant bought in 1971 by Martin Marietta Corporation, later Lockheed Martin
- INTALCO Aluminum (Cherry Point and Ferndale): Company founded in 1964, now a subsidiary of Alcoa Corporation.
- Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp: Founded in 1946, filed for bankruptcy in 2002 and established a mesothelioma compensation fund; still in business
- Martin Marietta Corporation: Founded in 1961, merged with Lockheed Corporation in 1995 to create Lockheed Martin
- Reynolds Metals Company: Founded in 1919, acquired by Alcoa in 2000
