Wyoming Asbestos & Mesothelioma

Asbestos in Wyoming

Oil and chemicals are two industries that are identified as routinely exposing their employees to asbestos in potentially hazardous fashion.  Industrial plants that use heat in their production process used asbestos as insulation and fire retardant material on a regular basis up through the mid 1980s.  Plants that were built after that period are less likely to contain asbestos.

Many of the facilities built in Wyoming to process oil and its byproducts were built in more recent years; however some have been recognized as containing asbestos hazards.  The list below is a partial itemization of the facilities in Wyoming that were hazardous workplaces due to asbestos at some point.  People who have worked in the oil refineries, chemical plants and electrical power plants in Wyoming in the past should consider themselves candidates for health problems due to asbestos and schedule regular checkups with the doctor.

 The two most serious health problems caused by asbestos are asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer.  Asbestos fibers that are inhaled either scar the lungs or imbed themselves in the membrane lining the lungs, the chest cavity and/or the abdominal cavity.  pleural mesothelioma is cancer of the membrane around the lungs that can lead, over time, to tumor growth within the lungs.

Cheyenne, Green River and Casper are no longer built around a cattle economy.  The oil business has come to Wyoming to stay and in the process has exposed many Wyoming workers to asbestos.  If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease, discuss it with an experienced attorney who can obtain the compensation that is owed you by the asbestos companies.

HUSKY OIL CO  CASPER WY
MOBIL OIL CO - CASPER REFINERY CASPER WY
SOCONY MOBIL OIL CO.  CASPER WY
SOCONY VACUUM OIL COMPANY  CASPER WY
TEXACO REFINERY CASPER WY
TEXAS COMPANY CASPER WY
AMOCO CASPER WY
CONSTRUCTION SPECIALTIES CO. CASPER WY
HUSKY OIL COMPANY CASPER WY
MOBIL OIL COMPANY CASPER WY
TEXACO, INC. CASPER WY
FRONTIER OIL CHEYENNE WY
HUSKY OIL  CHEYENNE WY
MUNICIPAL AIRPORT - BLDG 14 CHEYENNE WY
SHEET METAL PRODUCTS CO. CHEYENNE WY
WYCON CHEMICAL CO CHEYENNE WY
WYCON CHEMICAL CO REFINERY CHEYENNE WY
WYCON CHEMICAL PLANT CHEYENNE WY
WYCON CHEMICAL PLANT - JOB 335 CHEYENNE WY
HUSKY OIL CO - NO 7648 - WAREHOUSE CODY WY
HUSKY OIL CO - WAREHOUSE CODY WY
HUSKY OIL COMPANY CODY WY
F.E. WARREN AFB F.E. WARREN AFB WY
GILLETTE POWER PLANT GILLETTE WY
WYODEC POWER PLANT GILLETTE WY
DAVE JOHNSON POWER PLANT GLEN ROCK WY
PACIFIC POWER & LIGHT  GLENROCK WY
ALLIED SODA ASH PLANT GREEN RIVER WY
ALLIED CHEMICAL GREEN RIVER WY
FMC CORP GREEN RIVER WY
SODA ASH PLANT GREEN RIVER WY
STAUFFER CHEMICAL CO. GREEN RIVER WY
MOUNTAIN STATE INSUL GREEN RIVER WY
KEMMERER POWER PLANT  KEMMERER WY
NAUGHTON POWER PLANT KEMMERER WY
PACIFICORP KEMMERER WY
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING  LARAMIE WY
EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO OPAL WY
JIM BRIDGER POWER PLANT POINT OF ROCKS WY
S & H CONSTRUCTION CO. POWELL WY
ATLANTIC GAS RIVERTON WY
PAN AMERICAN PETROLEUM CORP RIVERTON WY
WINKLEMEN DOME FIELD RIVERTON WY
PAN AMERICAN PETROLEUM CORP. RIVERTON WY
BRIDGER POWER PLANT ROCK SPRINGS WY
FMC CORPORATION ROCK SPRINGS WY
JIM BRIDGER POWER PLANT ROCK SPRINGS WY
SINCLAIR REFINERY SINCLAIR WY
ATLANTIC RICHFIELD ARCO SINCLAIR WY
HOLLY SUGAR CORP. SOUTH TORRINGTON WY
STAUFFER CHEMICAL CO. STAUFFER WY
EMPIRE STATE OIL CO. THERMOPOLIS WY
WARREN AIR FORCE BASE LARAMIE COUNTY WY
WESTVACO  WESTVACO WY
HOLLY SUGAR CORP. WORLAND WY

Deaths from Asbestos Exposure in Wyoming

A study of asbestos related deaths during the years from 1979 to 2000 shows that Wyoming has enjoyed a relatively low occurrence of asbestosis or mesothelioma.  During that period there were 32 deaths due to asbestosis recorded in Wyoming; there were between 35 and 54 deaths attributable to mesothelioma.

The federal government did not begin tracking mesothelioma deaths until 1999.  Their data shows 44 mesothelioma deaths in Wyoming between 1999 and the end of 2004.  Wyoming has been fortunate that the oil boom arrived relatively late.  However due to the long latency period for malignant mesothelioma, the deaths are likely to continue at a similar or slightly accelerated rate.

Cancer Care in Wyoming

The most advanced cancer care facilities available to Wyoming residents are in adjacent states.

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

Huntsman Cancer Institute
University of Utah
2000 Circle of Hope
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-5550
Tel: (801) 581-4485
Fax: (801) 581-217