Oregon Asbestos-Related Deaths from 1999-2017

789
Mesothelioma Deaths
220
Asbestosis Deaths
1,009
Total Deaths

Asbestos Exposure in Oregon

Oregon’s coastline made it a prime location for many shipyards. While shipyards provided many jobs, workers were also at high risk for asbestos exposure. Shipyard workers and shipbuilders are among the most at-risk professions for asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos was used heavily on ships through the 1970s.

Asbestos was used aboard ships by the U.S. Navy because of its affordability, insulation properties, and fireproofing properties. Workers responsible for shipbuilding and repairing ships were likely exposed to hazardous asbestos materials. Asbestos materials were used as insulation on pipes, boilers, gaskets, and other machinery on ships. When workers disturbed the asbestos materials during building or repair, the asbestos fibers would become airborne and inhaled by those nearby. Anyone in the area of these asbestos materials could be at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases.

Industrial Sites with Asbestos

Oregon is densely forested and home to several paper mills, lumber mills, and manufacturing plants which are worksites that commonly used asbestos materials. Paper mills in Oregon used asbestos materials in the development of paper products. Workers in these facilities may have been exposed to hazardous asbestos fibers.

Chemical plants in Oregon used asbestos because of its resistance to heat and to most chemical reactions. Asbestos was used as an insulator on machinery and equipment in these facilities. Workers who operated or repaired this equipment may have been exposed to asbestos fibers.

Mining and Asbestos Exposure

The state also has naturally occurring asbestos deposits and, as a result, was home to a few asbestos mines. The Mount Vernon deposit, Raspberry Creek deposit, and L.E.J. Asbestos mines produced thousands of pounds of asbestos each day. Mining was extremely hazardous because of asbestos exposure. Extracting and transporting the asbestos to the processing facilities often resulted in exposure. Early on, the dangers of asbestos were not widely known so many workers did not use the proper safety equipment when handling asbestos and did not follow the proper safety measures for handling the toxic fibers. Workers in asbestos mines have a very high risk of developing asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.

Below is a partial list of work sites in Oregon with known asbestos exposure:

Partial list of work sites in Oregon with known asbestos exposure
  • 3M Plant
  • Albina Shipyard
  • ALCOA Steamship Company
  • American Can Paper Mill
  • American Steel & Wire Co.
  • Arden’s Farm Dairy
  • Arrow Auto Service
  • Boise Cascade Paper Mill
  • Borden’s Chemical Plant
  • Chevron Plant
  • Chief Joseph School
  • Chipman Chemical
  • Commercial Iron Works Shipyard
  • Concordia College
  • Corvallis High School
  • Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill
  • Cuddeback Lumber
  • Dammasch State Hospital
  • Diamond Plywood Mill
  • Doernbecher Hospital
  • J. Bartell Warehouse
  • Emmanuel Hospital
  • Esco Steel Foundry
  • Eugene City Hall
  • Food Processing Plant – Salem
  • Georgia Pacific “Wauna” Paper Mill fka Fort James fka James River fka Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill
  • Good Samaritan Hospital
  • Harvey Aluminum Plant
  • International Paper Mill
  • Kaiser Shipyard
  • Lane Plywood Mill
  • Lincoln High School
  • Meier & Frank Store
  • Menasha Paper Mill
  • Monarch Machine & Forging
  • View Grade School
  • Multnomah Building
  • Northwest Marine & Iron
  • Oregon Shipyard
  • Oregon State University
  • Oregon Steel Foundry
  • Owens‐Illinois
  • Pacific Power & Light
  • Panorama Building
  • Penwalt Chemical Plant
  • Pope & Talbot Paper Mill
  • Portland Community College
  • Portland General Electric (PGE) Coal‐Fired Power Plant
  • Precision Cast Parts
  • Providence Hospital
  • Publishers Paper Mill
  • Red Lion Inn
  • Redmond High School
  • Reed College
  • Reynolds Metals
  • Rogue Valley Memorial Hospital
  • Roseburg Forest Products Lumber Mill
  • Safeway Warehouse
  • Salem Memorial Hospital
  • Shell Chemical Plant
  • Shell Oil Refinery
  • Shriners Hospital
  • St. Anthony’s Hospital
  • St. Helens Pulp & Paper
  • St. John’s Shipyard
  • Vincent’s Hospital
  • Standard Oil Refinery
  • Sunset High School
  • Sunset School
  • Swan Island Shipyard
  • Tektronix Oscilloscope Plant
  • Teledyne ‐ Wah Chang Specialty Metals Plant
  • U.S. National Bank Building
  • U.S. Plywood Mill
  • Union Oil Company Building
  • University of Oregon
  • Veterans’ Administration Hospital
  • Wallowa High School
  • Western Kraft
  • Western Oregon College
  • Weyerhauser Paper Mill
  • Weyerhauser Timber Products
  • Willamette Industries Paper Mill
  • Willamette Shipyard
  • Willamette Iron & Steel Shipyard
  • Willamette Pulp & Paper Mill
  • Woodland Park Hospital

Statute of Limitations to File Mesothelioma Claim in Oregon

There is a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit for mesothelioma that varies for each state called the statute of limitations. This means if you do not file within the time limit, you will never be able to pursue legal action or obtain compensation. It’s important that you take legal action within this time frame so you do not miss out on receiving the compensation you may deserve. Contact us here to learn more about how we can help.

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What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a deadly and rare form of malignant cancer that is caused by asbestos exposure. The most common forms of mesothelioma are: pleural and peritoneal. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the abdominal cavity.

Victims with pleural mesothelioma may have respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue. Victims with peritoneal mesothelioma may have abdominal swelling, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss.

The latency period for mesothelioma is very long. The average latency period is about 30 years, but can be shorter than 15 years or longer than 40 years. This means individuals with mesothelioma may take decades to present symptoms from the time they were exposed to asbestos.

What is asbestosis?

Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease caused by asbestos exposure. When asbestos is inhaled the fibers irritate and scar the lining of the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. The lungs become stiff and cannot expand and contract normally. Symptoms of asbestosis are shortness of breath, chest pain, and a dry, persistent cough. Like mesothelioma, the latency period for asbestosis is very long. Symptoms may not present for 10 to 40 years after asbestos exposure.

Military Asbestos Exposure

It is extremely important to know that our attorneys do not sue the military. We seek accountability from the asbestos companies that sold dangerous asbestos products to the military.

Members of all branches of the military may have been exposed to asbestos before it became more restricted in the 1970s. The U.S. military used asbestos products in many areas because of its low cost, durability, and heat resistant properties. The common use of these asbestos products put many U.S. veterans at risk of developing asbestos related diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. Below is a list of the military branches and common asbestos exposure sites:

  • Navy – shipyards, boiler rooms, submarines
  • Army – barracks, shipyards, construction
  • Marine Corps – armored vehicles, barracks, ships, aircraft
  • Coast Guard – inside ships, ships, boiler rooms
  • Air Force- bases, airplanes, jets, aircraft maintenance