Arizona Asbestos Resources

Asbestos in Arizona

The United States Geological Survey issued a report in 2007 that lists 106 naturally occurring asbestos sites in the state.  Of those, 96 are predominantly composed of chrysotile asbestos, one of the six types of asbestos fibers that have been all but banned for commercial use in this country.  In fact there is a town named Chrysotile, Arizona where the mineral was first discovered in Arizona in 1872.

Forty four of the forty six asbestos mines in Arizona were located in Gila County, where an estimated 75,000 tons of asbestos minerals were mined commercially.  Mining ended in 1982. Asbestos in any form was virtually banned in the U.S. by the mid-nineties, but people who were exposed to it continue to develop mesothelioma cancer.

Arizona Asbestos Industrial Locations

Below is a list of Arizona facilities and institutions where asbestos has been used, processed or where there has been danger of asbestos fibers being released into the surrounding atmosphere.  The critical ones are power plants and copper mills, most of which have been cleaned up by their owners.  However Arizona residents who worked in these facilities before the early nineties may have been exposed to asbestos fibers and may be candidates for malignant mesothelioma.

Navajo Army Depot     Bellemont, AZ 
Laughlin Power Plant     Bullhead City, AZ
General Electric – Turbine Chandler, AZ 
Southwestern Nitro Chemical Co. Chandler, AZ
Spreckles Sugar Plant Chandler, AZ
Williams Air Force Base                                            Chandler, AZ
Phelps Dodge                                                              Clifton, AZ
Chandler Power Plant,     Cochise, AZ
Cochise Power Plant,      Douglas, AZ
Phelps Dodge,      Flagstaff, AZ
Southwest Forest,      Gilbert, AZ
Luke Air Force Base     Glendale, AZ
Salt River Power Plant,     Glendale, AZ
Aqua Fria Power Plant    Hayden, AZ
Kennecott Copper Mine    Hayden, AZ
Tucson Gas      Irvington, AZ
Kennecott Copper Mine,     Joseph City, AZ
Lake Mead Project     Needles, AZ
Mineral Park Inc.     Kingman, AZ
Moly Plant      Kingman, AZ
Duval Mine      Mineral Rock, AZ
Arizona Public Service Cholla Power Plant  Morenci, AZ
Phelps Dodge Copper Plant    Morenci, AZ
Copper Smelter     Morenci, AZ
Arizona Public Service Navaho Power Plant  Navajo Reservation, AZ
Victor Ruiz Fibers     Nogales, AZ
SRP Power Plant     Page, AZ
Phelps Dodge Copper Smelter,    Page, AZ
Arizona State University    Phoenix, AZ
Asbestos Engineering & Supply   Phoenix, AZ
AT & SF Spur      Phoenix, AZ
Civic Center      Phoenix, AZ
FENCO      Phoenix, AZ
Fiberglass Engineering & Supply   Phoenix, AZ
General Electric     Phoenix, AZ
Lincoln Hospital     Phoenix, AZ
Motorola Plant     Phoenix, AZ
Mountain Bell Telephone    Phoenix, AZ
Owens Corning     Phoenix, AZ
Palo Verde Nuclear Plant    Phoenix, AZ
Salt River Project Powerhouse,    Phoenix, AZ
Santa Fe Peoria Track     Phoenix, AZ
Western Electric     Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Public Service Power Plant   Red Rock, AZ
Arizona Public Service Utility Power Plant,   Springerville, AZ
Southwest Forest Industry Paper Mill   Snow Flake, AZ
Arizona Public Service Power Plant   St. Joseph, AZ
SRP Coronado Power Plant      St. Johns, AZ
Arizona Railroad Co.     San Manuel, AZ
San Manuel Copper Refinery    San Manuel, AZ
Arizona Public Service Ocotillo Power Plant  Tempe, AZ
Arizona State University    Tempe, AZ
Ford Motor Company     Tempe, AZ
Safeway      Tempe, AZ
SRP Kyrene Power Plant     Tempe, AZ
Arizona Public Service Saguaro Power Plant  Tucson, AZ
Yuma Marine Corps Base    Yuma, AZ

Asbestos-Related Deaths in Arizona

The U.S. government started keeping statistics on asbestos-related deaths in 1980 and published a report on fatalities in 2000.   They have reported 201 asbestosis deaths in Arizona during that twenty year time span.  They further reported 473 cases of mesothelioma over that period, many of which were reported in the late nineties, as annual reports of the disease were still escalating.

These statistics provide a snapshot of mesothelioma in Arizona, not a complete picture.  No statistics exist for the period prior to 1980, while asbestos was being mined and asbestos products were in prominent use for most of the twentieth century.  Moreover, there are still mesothelioma cases to come for Arizonans who worked around asbestos and products with asbestos in them – such as home insulation, tiles and flooring.

mesothelioma treatment in Arizona

If you are experiencing chest pains, shortness of breath or any of the other symptoms of asbestos exposure, talk to your principal physician.  Your doctor will put you through a series of tests trying to isolate the problem.  You should know, however, that Arizona has some specialized facilities for cancer treatment, including mesothelioma.

The National Cancer Institute maintains a list of forty one prominent cancer treatment facilities across the country.  One of them is in Arizona:

Arizona Cancer Center
University of Arizona
1515 North Campbell Avenue
P.O. Box 245024
Tucson, Arizona 85724
Director David S. Alberts, MD

Mesothelioma Treatment Section
Linda Garland, MD

Tel: (520) 626-7685
Fax: (520) 626-6898

Other Arizona facilities for cancer treatment include:

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
1111 E. McDowell Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85006

Mayo Clinic
13400 East Shea Blvd.
Scottsdale, Arizona 85259

Arizona Asbestos Legal Rights

Generally, Arizona provides a two-year statute of limitations on filing a lawsuit against an employer for work-related diseases or physical harm.  Legal options for Arizona mesothelioma and asbestosis victims are not, however, confined to the state courts.  There is a multi-billion dollar trust fund set aside by asbestos companies to compensate victims; many of those suits and claims are filed in federal court today.

It has been clearly established that asbestos producing companies and companies that used asbestos in manufacturing products have liability for employee injury due to asbestos exposure.  Keep in mind the fact that it often takes mesothelioma twenty years or more after asbestos exposure to show symptoms.  If you feel that you may be one of those employees or former employees, fill out our brief form and we will be in contact with you immediately for a no-cost analysis of your prospects for compensation.

Other Arizona Mesothelioma & Asbestos Resources

The Asbestos Institute, Inc. - Based in Phoenix, Arizona. Provides EPA-accredited training to attendees from all over the United States since 1988. TAI is a complete training center, classroom and information resource dedicated to the asbestos and lead abatement and environmental hazard industry. 

Arizona's Asbestos Removal Company -The proper methods are utilized in order to insure a safe environment for us all. All EPA and OSHA requirements are adhered to in order to achieve this safe environment. We are committed to keeping the laws and accomplishing the removal at a fair cost to our clients.

ACT Environmental - Asbestos Consulting

Applied EnviroSolutions, Inc.- Asbestos inspection, removal, risk analysis and consulting.

Western Technologies Inc. - asbestos consulting and testing firm.

BEM Systems - Services - Environmental Health and Safety - Industrial Hygiene and Safety - Asbestos Management.

Spray Systems Environmental - located in the Phoenix metropolitan area, they have been in the asbestos and lead abatement business since 1983.