Colorado Asbestos Resources

Asbestos in Colorado

There are a few areas in Colorado where asbestos occurs naturally.  However the incidents of asbestos-related disease in the state are tied to the industries in the state that have used asbestos and asbestos products within their facilities.  There have also been many cases of asbestos exposure related to old Colorado mines.

Some had asbestos mixed into the soil that was extracted for ore, and the tailings now constitute a toxic waste site.  Asbestos does not fade away; it only deteriorates and becomes "friable," which means it is prone to crumbling and putting asbestos fibers into the air.  Inhaling those fibers is what causes health problems; most notably scarring of the lungs which is called asbestosis, and a lethal form of cancer called mesothelioma.

Denver has seen an influx of industry, and the standard groups of industrial sites that are looked on as potential danger zones for asbestos exposure are present in the state.  Those include power plants, where asbestos was often used as insulation for heated areas.  The same is true of refineries, of which Colorado has a few.  Old railroad jobsites and old buildings in general can be asbestos-laden and a danger to workers, particularly if they are being cleaned up or remodeled, which disturbs asbestos and causes asbestos fibers to rise into the air.

People who have been exposed to asbestos may not experience the effects of those fibers for years.  Mesothelioma can take twenty years or more after asbestos exposure to manifest symptoms.  The list below details jobsites in Colorado that may have allowed hazardous asbestos exposure for employees. If you were ever employed at one of these sites you might consider talking to your doctor about the health problems asbestos can cause.  If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease, talk with an experienced attorney about your right to compensation.

Mortality in Colorado from Asbestos Exposure

A study released in 2004 shows that during the years between 1979 and 2000, 133 deaths were recorded in Colorado due to asbestosis.  During that same period mesothelioma deaths occurred numbering some figure between 267 and 456.  The lack of an accurate figure is due to the fact that some deaths attributable to asbestos-caused mesothelioma may have been recorded as lung cancer or some other health issue that was secondary to mesothelioma.

It is only since 1999 that the federal government has tracked mesothelioma deaths.  In the period between 1999 and the end of 2004, 163 mesothelioma deaths were recorded in Colorado.  Because of the long latency period between asbestos exposure and the onset of mesothelioma, experts believe that we will continue to see mesothelioma diagnoses for some time, despite the fact that it has been all but banned in the United States since the end of the 1980s.

Cancer Treatment in Colorado

Colorado has a cancer treatment and research center that has been designated by the National Cancer Institute as one of 64 that receives federal grants to support a comprehensive research approach to new cancer treatments and, hopefully, cures. That site is in Denver:

University of Colorado Cancer Center
University of Colorado at Denver & Health Sciences Center
13001 E. 17th Place
Aurora, Colorado 80045
Tel: (303) 724-3155
Fax: (303) 724-3162

Other Colorado cancer centers include:

Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, which is an organization with twenty clinics in operation and more than seventy physicians.  The "corporate headquarters" is located here:

Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers
7951 E. Maplewood Avenue, Suite 300
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Phone: 1-888-259-7622
Fax: (303) 930-7881

Shaw Regional Cancer Center   
322 Beard Creek Road   
Edwards, Colorado 81632
970-569-7429