Illinois ranks 7th out of 50 states in the United States for total deaths related to asbestos exposure. Approximately 600 people die from asbestos-related diseases each year.
Many industries have used asbestos in construction, insulation, and several other building capacities. Illinois, especially Chicago, has a sizeable industrial scene. This led to the state becoming the 7th highest in the nation for deaths related to asbestos exposure. Cook, Lake, and DuPage are the top counties in the state for deaths from asbestosis and asbestos-related cancers (like mesothelioma) between 1999 and 2013. Prolonged asbestos exposure can also cause illnesses like pleural effusion and lung cancer.
A category of six minerals that occur naturally in the environment as bundles of fibers, asbestos used to be a popular choice in construction. It was an ideal building material due to its cost, durability, and heat resistance. This was before it was known to be carcinogenic or to have cancer-causing tendencies. The mineral can be found in soil and rock deposits or water runoff spots that can transfer it to other places.
There are several areas in Illinois with a higher risk of asbestos exposure than others. Work and the military are the sectors that consume most of the minerals. Learn more about the high-risk areas for asbestos in Illinois.
At one point, the U.S. military was one of the largest consumers of asbestos. Veterans, actually, make up one-third of patients with mesothelioma. Data shows Navy veterans as the branch with the most asbestos usage, most likely because of their wide application of asbestos-containing products in ships, bases, tools, and shipyards.
A couple of military facilities with confirmed asbestos at one time in Illinois include:
Service members who worked or spent prolonged periods in these facilities did report developing mesothelioma or other lung complications. However, these allegations were never thoroughly proven. Mostly, this is due to the significant number of other carcinogens veterans encounter (even in outside occupations), which makes it difficult for them to pinpoint the exact cause of illness.
The mineral was found in a number of places, such as vehicle parts, pipes, firebrick, insulation, and clothing, among a range of other things. If you’re a veteran who served in the military in Illinois, get in touch with our team. We can let you know if any facilities you’ve worked in had connections to asbestos.
There’s also a superfund site in Illinois known for containing asbestos. Superfund sites are contaminated areas that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finds and classifies. They use money from the Superfund (money put in place by the government for toxic sites) to clean the area when the company or responsible party can’t be found.
One Superfund site in Illinois is the former Johns-Manville site. This area had over 3,000,000 cubic yards of wastewater polluted with asbestos and other toxic chemicals. There’s a high chance of encountering asbestos fibers in the area around it. The area surrounds Lake Michigan and is near Illinois Beach State Park.
Another major Superfund site is in Havana, Illinois. In 2019, the EPA began asbestos cleanup at the Crescent Forge and Shovel site. This was a steel facility that was operational for over 100 years until 2008. When the area was shut down, the on-site infrastructure was improperly demolished, causing asbestos debris to spread around.
Laborers working in shipyards, demolition, renovation, construction, mining, pipe-fitting, plumbing, and manufacturing have the highest chance of asbestos contamination. Illinois is a very industrial state, meaning several places and occupations are at risk for contamination. Illinois’s power plants and oil refineries also used asbestos heavily in several building capacities.
Some places in Illinois known for asbestos litigation are:
This is just four out of thousands of areas in Illinois that have issues with asbestos contamination. Hundreds of residential homes, hotels, schools, universities, and campus lodging around the state also contained excess levels of the toxin. For example, the University of Illinois in Champaign, Urbana, had issues with the toxin in their residence halls.
If you’ve spent considerable time in the industrial or education workforce, give us a call. We have a much longer list of companies with related issues and can help you track down any potential asbestos exposure you may have encountered.
Montana has a mining site in Libby that was linked to an enormous amount of asbestos pollution throughout the country. The area contained a mixture of vermiculite and asbestos that was sent to several facilities, exposing workers and residents nearby.
A facility in Chicago was one of the receiving sites. The site processed over 273,000 tons of contaminated vermiculite from Libby, totaling 372,000 tons for the state of Illinois. Other involved facilities included ones in Girard, Peoria, Quincy, Buda, and Calumet City, to name a few.
Some organizations fight to ban asbestos from being used as frequently as before.
In 1989, the EPA passed a partial ban on the development, distribution, and sale of some asbestos products. New uses for the mineral were also banned, further removing it from the marketplace.
In April 2019, the EPA passed the “Final Rule,” which demanded that asbestos products that were no longer on the market be banned from returning without a further determination from the agency. The EPA also monitors lingering uses of asbestos by assessing potential contamination issues and shutting everything down if the risk is too high. In 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration finalized a ban on chrysotile asbestos, the most common type of the mineral.
Find a Mesothelioma Lawyer or Asbestos Attorney
The EPA has a unit in Illinois to help guard the people and the surrounding environment against exposure to asbestos. They’re also known as the Illinois EPA Asbestos Unit. They’re the delegated authority for regulating the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).
The NESHAP policy holds business owners and operators accountable for submitting notifications and requesting approval for all asbestos-related demolition or renovation projects. Contractors must also be licensed and certified to remove asbestos and provide at least 10 working days’ notice before beginning any projects that may disturb asbestos fibers.
People who have developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related conditions could be entitled to compensation from asbestos companies responsible for the exposure. Action against said companies usually has to be taken in a short period, depending on the state in which the claim is filed.
Reaching out to an experienced mesothelioma attorney would prove extremely helpful. They could efficiently navigate the complexities of filing a claim for your unique case and get you maximum benefits in a timely manner. Statute of limitations in Illinois?
There are multiple laws that Illinois has put in place regarding asbestos and mesothelioma claims. These laws determine how much proof is needed in legal cases for compensation for an asbestos illness.
Each state has different regulations and standards regarding asbestos cases. This defines the guidelines that personal injury plaintiffs must follow to prove that the asbestos companies are liable in court.
A standard method for determining liability is the Lohrmann test, which involves the plaintiff proving that the defendant’s product was a significant cause of their exposure. The test observes the worker’s recurrence and proximity to asbestos at the job site, and Illinois applies this standard for all cases that take place in the state.
A person filing an asbestos claim with an Illinois Mesothelioma Attorney is likely to be denied if they can only prove minimal contact.
This policy determines the amount of time a patient has to file an asbestos lawsuit before it becomes time-barred in court. This can be anywhere between 5 and 50 years and differs from state to state. A short latency period can cause issues for mesothelioma victims due to how long the disease takes to develop.
For Illinois patients, the statute of limitations does not start until an official mesothelioma diagnosis, due to the state discovery rule. This rule holds that the plaintiff could not take action against something they were unaware of. There’s also a two-year statute of limitations for wrongful death suits, or claims filed by the surviving family member of a mesothelioma victim.
Illinois law states that home-sellers must disclose the presence of dangerous amounts of asbestos in the home. Damage or contamination to the residence’s doors, floors, or windows must also be reported. Elaborate
Visiting a specialized treatment center is essential if you receive a mesothelioma diagnosis and need treatment and care. These centers have doctors with extensive experience with cancers such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, colon cancer, and others, offering you the best care available.
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The state of Illinois has implemented regulations to control the use of asbestos and safeguard residents from exposure. If you have been exposed to asbestos while on the job, it’s likely that your employer is accountable, and you deserve compensation. To learn more about the diagnosis process, connect with top doctors, or understand your legal rights, please contact our advocacy team for a complimentary case evaluation. They can guide you through the process.
Jennifer Verta thrives as a digital content writer at Mesothelioma Hub. She has been producing content for clients since before she graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Minor in English Writing. Jen’s mission is to help promote awareness of mesothelioma to as many people as possible by providing only the most up-to-date and accurate content available. When she isn’t cranking the gears at work, Jen can be found snowboarding, hiking, catching live music, or socializing with friends.
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EPA. (ND). John-manville Corp. Waukegan, IL Cleanup Activities. Retrieved June 2021 from (https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0500197#bkground
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