Mesothelioma Lawyer Ohio: Asbestos Exposure at Industrial Facilities

Urgent Filing Deadline Warning

If you or a family member received a mesothelioma or asbestos-related cancer diagnosis, Ohio gives you 2 years from the date of diagnosis to file a personal injury claim. Miss that deadline, and your right to compensation is gone—permanently.

Legislative pressure to tighten those requirements is real and ongoing. Do not assume you have time to wait.

An experienced asbestos attorney in Ohio can evaluate your case, identify every available claim, and get you into court or into the trust fund process before any deadline closes. Call now.

Who This Applies To

If you worked at Labadie Energy Center, Portage des Sioux Power Plant, Rush Island Energy Center, Granite City Steel, Shell Oil Roxana Refinery, Monsanto Chemical, or other major industrial facilities in Missouri and Illinois from the 1940s through the 1990s—or if a family member did—you may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials now linked to mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.

These facilities reportedly used asbestos-containing materials throughout their boilers, furnaces, piping systems, and thermal insulation for decades. Former workers, contractors affiliated with Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1 and Local 27, Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 562 and Local 268, and independent tradespeople who may have been exposed are now developing disease—often 20 to 50 years after their last day on the job.

Compensation may be available through mesothelioma lawsuits, asbestos bankruptcy trust fund claims, or workers’ compensation. A qualified asbestos attorney in Ohio can evaluate your case at no cost and explain every option available to you.

Industrial Facilities with Documented Asbestos Exposure Risk in Missouri and Illinois

Power Generation and Utility Facilities

Labadie Energy Center (Ameren UE, Franklin County, MO)

Labadie Energy Center, operated by Ameren UE, reportedly housed multiple coal-fired generating units with extensive steam and thermal systems where asbestos-containing materials may have been installed and maintained over decades. Workers at Labadie may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from Johns-Manville, Owens-Corning, Armstrong World Industries, and other manufacturers during work involving:

Boiler insulation systems
High-pressure steam piping
Thermal equipment insulation
Refractory materials in furnaces

Portage des Sioux Power Plant (Ameren UE, St. Charles County, MO)

Portage des Sioux reportedly operated power generation equipment with thermal insulation systems and high-temperature piping where asbestos-containing materials may have been installed. Workers may have been exposed during:

Routine boiler maintenance and repair
Steam system servicing
Insulation removal and replacement
Equipment overhaul and planned shutdown events

Sioux Energy Center (St. Charles County, MO)

Sioux Energy Center reportedly contained industrial boilers, furnaces, and piping systems where asbestos-containing materials may have been present and disturbed during maintenance and repair work.

Rush Island Energy Center (Ameren UE, Jefferson County, MO)

Rush Island Energy Center, an Ameren UE facility, reportedly housed coal-fired power generation equipment with asbestos-containing insulation and thermal materials used throughout boiler systems and high-pressure steam piping.

Steel Manufacturing and Industrial Fabrication

Granite City Steel / U.S. Steel (Granite City, IL)

Granite City Steel, operated by U.S. Steel, was one of Illinois’ largest integrated steel mills. The facility reportedly contained:

Blast furnaces with asbestos-containing refractory materials
Continuous casting and rolling equipment with thermal insulation
Boiler plants with steam generation systems
High-temperature piping networks
Electrical and mechanical equipment with asbestos-containing components

Workers at Granite City Steel—including steelworkers, boilermakers, pipefitters, electricians, and maintenance personnel—may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, Owens-Corning, Garlock Sealing Technologies, and other manufacturers during:

Blast furnace refractory maintenance and replacement
Steam system repair and modification
Equipment installation and overhaul
Routine maintenance of insulated piping and equipment

Laclede Steel (Alton, IL)

Laclede Steel, located in Alton, reportedly operated electric arc furnaces, rolling mills, and associated industrial equipment with thermal insulation and high-temperature components. Workers may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials during:

Furnace refractory maintenance
Equipment repair and modification
Insulation removal and installation
Routine maintenance activities

Alton Box Board (Alton, IL)

Alton Box Board reportedly operated paperboard manufacturing equipment with steam-driven production systems and thermal insulation where asbestos-containing materials may have been installed and maintained.

Petrochemical and Refining Operations

Shell Oil / Roxana Refinery (Wood River, IL)

The Shell Oil Roxana Refinery, one of the region’s largest petroleum refining operations, reportedly contains:

Crude oil distillation and cracking units with high-temperature processes
Boiler plants and steam generation systems
High-pressure piping and vessel systems
Heat exchangers and thermal equipment
Extensive insulation systems throughout the facility

Workers at Roxana Refinery—including pipefitters, boilermakers, insulators, maintenance workers, and contractors—may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from Johns-Manville, Owens-Corning, Armstrong World Industries, Crane Co., Garlock Sealing Technologies, and W.R. Grace during:

Installation, maintenance, and repair of insulated piping systems
Boiler system work and steam line repair
Gasket and packing replacement in flanged connections
Equipment overhaul and turnaround projects
Removal and disturbance of deteriorated insulation

Clark Refinery (Wood River, IL)

Clark Refinery, also located in Wood River, reportedly operated petroleum refining equipment with thermal insulation and high-pressure piping systems where asbestos-containing materials may have been installed and maintained.

Chemical Manufacturing

Monsanto Chemical (Sauget, IL / St. Louis, MO)

Monsanto Chemical, with major operations in Sauget, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri, reportedly operated large-scale chemical production facilities with:

Chemical process reactors and vessels with thermal insulation
Steam-driven processing equipment
High-pressure and high-temperature piping systems
Boiler plants and utilities infrastructure
Mechanical and electrical systems throughout

Workers at Monsanto Chemical facilities—including maintenance workers, pipefitters, electricians, boilermakers, and contractors—may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from Johns-Manville, Owens-Corning, Armstrong World Industries, Celotex, W.R. Grace, and other manufacturers during:

Process equipment installation and modification
Thermal insulation work on pipes and vessels
Boiler and steam system maintenance
Gasket and sealing material replacement
Facility renovation and equipment overhaul
Routine maintenance and repair

Which Workers May Have Been Exposed

Ohio asbestos Exposure Timeline

Time Period	Likely ACM Status	Exposure Risk
1930s–1970s	Active installation and use of ACMs	High — ongoing installation and maintenance
1970s–1985	Regulatory transition; new ACM use declining	Moderate to High — legacy materials disturbed during maintenance
1985–2000	ACMs generally no longer newly installed	Moderate — legacy ACMs disturbed during repair and renovation
2000–present	Formal abatement may have reduced risk	Variable — depends on abatement history

Workers employed at or contracting to Labadie Energy Center, Portage des Sioux, Rush Island, Granite City Steel, Shell Roxana Refinery, Monsanto Chemical, and other major industrial operations in Missouri and Illinois during any period from approximately 1940 through 1990 may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials.

Critically: exposure risk did not end when installation of new asbestos-containing materials stopped. Materials already in these facilities—insulation on pipes and boilers, refractory linings in furnaces, gaskets, packing, and structural components—continued releasing fibers for decades as they aged, deteriorated, and were disturbed during maintenance and repair. Workers who never installed a single piece of asbestos-containing material may still have a viable claim.

High-Risk Occupations and Trade Groups

Insulators (Thermal Insulation Workers)

Insulators carry, as a class, among the highest historically documented rates of asbestos-related disease of any trade. Members of Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1 (St. Louis, MO) and Local 27 (Kansas City, MO) working at Labadie Energy Center, Rush Island Energy Center, Shell Roxana Refinery, Granite City Steel, Monsanto Chemical, and other regional industrial facilities may have repeatedly encountered asbestos-containing materials when:

Installing, removing, and replacing thermal insulation on pipes, boilers, furnaces, kilns, heat exchangers, and high-temperature equipment
Cutting and shaping asbestos-containing pipe covering and block insulation
Tearing out deteriorated asbestos insulation during maintenance shutdowns and turnaround events
Applying asbestos-containing insulating cements, coatings, and thermal sealants
Handling loose asbestos fibers and insulation dust in confined mechanical spaces

For much of the mid-twentieth century, this work was almost entirely asbestos-based. Insulators at these facilities may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from major manufacturers including:

Johns-Manville — pipe insulation, block insulation, asbestos cement products
Owens-Corning / Owens-Illinois — insulation systems, thermal products
Armstrong World Industries — insulation and refractory materials
Celotex — pipe covering and insulation products
W.R. Grace — thermal insulation and specialty products
Eagle-Picher — insulation systems and asbestos-containing materials
Georgia-Pacific — insulation and building materials

Pipefitters and Steamfitters

Pipefitters and steamfitters affiliated with Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 562 (St. Louis, MO) and Local 268 (Kansas City, MO), working on high-pressure steam and chemical process piping systems throughout Labadie Energy Center, Rush Island, Shell Roxana Refinery, Granite City Steel, Monsanto Chemical, and other regional facilities, may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials in multiple forms:

Pipe insulation (Kaylo, Thermobestos, and other product lines from Johns-Manville and Owens-Corning) — disturbed during pipe repair and replacement
Asbestos rope and tape — used to seal pipe connections and expansion joints
Asbestos-containing gaskets and valve packing — present in flanged pipe connections and equipment seals
Asbestos-containing sealants and cements — applied to pipe fittings and connections
High-temperature asbestos coatings — applied to piping systems and equipment

Pipefitters may have encountered asbestos-containing gasket and packing products from manufacturers such as:

Garlock Sealing Technologies — gaskets, packing, and sealing materials
John Crane — mechanical seals and packing materials
A.W. Chesterton — gaskets and pump packing
Flexitallic — spiral wound and asbestos-containing gaskets
Crane Co. — packing materials and equipment components

Boilermakers

Boilermakers working on industrial boilers, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers at power plants (Labadie, Portage des Sioux, Rush Island), steel mills (Granite City Steel), and chemical facilities (Monsanto) may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials during work involving:

Boiler refractory and insulation — installation, repair, and replacement of asbestos-containing refractory brick, castable refractory, and insulating materials inside boiler fireboxes and combustion chambers
Pressure vessel work — maintenance and repair of insulated pressure vessels and heat exchangers with