Missouri Asbestos Resources

Asbestos in Missouri

Missouri is celebrated for its mix of urban development and rural areas.  The Ozarks stretch into Missouri and provide an enormous contrast for cities such as St. Louis, which has been an industrial and financial power in the area for over one hundred years.  St. Louis and neighboring St. Joseph were traditional departure points for the great westward migration following the discovery of California gold in 1849.

Today the older industries of Missouri are looked on as jobsites where there has been potential asbestos exposure.  Many of the older buildings in the state including factories, offices and homes used asbestos in one form or another.  Since roughly 1980 however, asbestos has been recognized as a deadly carcinogen and respiratory health problem and its use has been banned for most products in this country.

The two deadliest diseases that are asbestos-caused are asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer.  The latter has proven to be a virtual death sentence, because one of its peculiarities is that it does not begin to show symptoms until perhaps two decades have passed since the asbestos exposure occurred.  That is why, in states with older office structures and factories, it is important for former employees to discuss the dangers of inhaling asbestos fibers with a doctor.  Any Missouri residence who has come down with a serious asbestos-related disease should also talk with an experienced attorney in the field of asbestos damage claims.

The state has a mix of older industries that are prime suspects for hazardous asbestos exposure.  The Mack Truck plant, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corp. facilities used asbestos gaskets on their engines and asbestos brake shoes on their wheels.  The many power plants that service the state at one point used asbestos to coat pipes and tanks as insulation.  Workers in boiler rooms and power plants often wore protective gear that used asbestos as an insulating material. 

Below is a list of jobsites that are believed to have exposed employees to asbestos.  If you or a family member was once employed by one of these firms, it is worth your while to talk with a doctor about any respiratory problems you might be having, about fatigue or chest pain, fever or weight loss.  If you have asbestos related problems you should waste no time contacting an attorney who is experienced in filing damage claims for compensation from asbestos companies.

Mortality from Asbestos in Missouri

A study released in 2004 showed an analysis of asbestos related deaths in this country from 1980 to 2000.  The study was based on reported deaths due to asbestosis or malignant mesothelioma.  It showed 236 deaths from asbestosis and a range of possible mesothelioma deaths: from 388 to 640. 

However the federal government began keeping a tally of all reported mesothelioma deaths in 1999, because it is a lethal form of cancer whose only known cause is a once enormously widespread consumer and industrial product.  From 1999 through 2004 there were 278 deaths from mesothelioma reported.  Because it takes many years after asbestos exposure for mesothelioma symptoms to appear, comparing the two death rates suggests that there will be continued deaths from mesothelioma for many years to come.

Cancer treatment in Missouri

Missouri has one of the great medical schools in the country at Washington University.  Its health center has been designated by the National Cancer Institute as one of 64 cancer centers that will act as a network for the NCI for providing grants and coordinating cancer research in pursuit of new therapies and medications for treating cancer as well as expanding medical understanding of the causes of carcinoma.

Siteman Cancer Center
Washington University School of Medicine
660 South Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63110 
Tel: (314) 362-8020 
Fax: (314) 454-1898

Other Missouri choices:

Ellis Fischel Cancer Center
University of Missouri
115 Business Loop 70 W.
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 882-2100