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Minnesota Mesothelioma Lawyers
The mesothelioma lawyers at the Simmons firm represent victims of mesothelioma cancer throughout the United States, including the state of Minnesota. We provide legal representation and counsel to families pursuing or considering the pursuit of mesothelioma litigation. Minnesotans concerned about their exposure to asbestos can find valuable mesothelioma information and resources on this site.
- CDC statistics show Washington's age-adjusted death rate for malignant mesothelioma to be between 11.5 and 23 deaths per million per year.1
- The majority of individuals who have been exposed to asbestos find it at their workplaces, often due to a lack of safety precautions by the employer.
- Asbestos exposure can also be found in some areas as a result from breathing contaminated air near an asbestos site. Close proximity to workers who have taken the fibers home with them on their clothing may also lead to exposure and contamination.
Asbestos Exposure in Minnesota
Natural Occurrences
According to a 2008 United States Geological Survey report (PDF), there is one reported natural occurrence of asbestos and one reported site of fibrous amphiboles. Both locations lie in Northeastern Minnesota: the asbestos occurrence is in taconite in an Aurora sill, and the amphibole site is in taconite deposits in the Eastern Mesabi district near the town of Babbitt.2
In the same report, Bradley S. Van Gosen writes about the potential of fibrous amphiboles "in outcrops or within a metallic ore body (copper, gold, iron)" to host asbestos. He describes Minnesota's particular geologic settings that "are similar to those that elsewhere form and host the reported asbestos":
Grunerite and cummingtonite are widespread rock-forming minerals in the Biwabik iron-formation in this area, but do not everywhere occur in fibrous form. Concentrations of grunerite or cummingtonite occur widely within contact-metamorphosed banded iron-formation elsewhere in northern Minnesota.
EPA Superfund Cleanup
The U.S. EPA has cited one Minnesota location for asbestos contamination in its Superfund program for hazardous waste cleanup: the Western Mineral Products Site in Northeast Minneapolis. According to EPA documentation, the industrial property was purchased in 1963 by W.R. Grace Co. to manufacture vermiculite insulation. The asbestos-heavy vermiculite came from the famous Libby, MT vermiculite mines that were operated by the same company. The former facility, which operated for 50 years, used to freely offer piles of waste rock to local residents, who may have used it for numerous household applications. The industrial property's current owners are participating in a voluntary cleanup, and the EPA has cleaned up roughly 260 area homes identified as having "Libby asbestos."3 4 In 2008, the EPA also tested the air in those homes for asbestos fibers.5
Occupational Exposure
According to Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development, one of its largest employment categories is "education and health." In September 2009, Minnesota's elementary and secondary schools accounted for 16,249 jobs, a number that had risen from the previous year. As the link between elementary school teachers and malignant mesothelioma has been documented in CDC statistics (see chart below),6 Minnesota's growing elementary school workforce should be aware of the risks of asbestos exposure in old school buildings, particularly those constructed before 1970.
| Occupation | Proportionate Mortality Ratio (PMR) |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters | 4.8 |
| Mechanical engineers | 3.0 |
| Electricians | 2.4 |
| Teachers, elementary school | 2.1 |
Mesothelioma Lawyers with Experience
At the Simmons firm, our mesothelioma lawyers have been working with clients suffering from diseases associated with asbestos exposure for more than ten years. Our experience, resources and dedication to personal client service have helped us recover over $3 billion in verdicts and settlements for thousands of families dealing with mesothelioma in its various forms.*
The Simmons firm is one of the nation's leading supporters of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and has pledged $10 million to support cancer research at the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University.
If you believe you may have contracted mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure, please contact our mesothelioma lawyers for a free case evaluation.
Learn More About Mesothelioma:
» Mesothelioma Diagnosis Information
» Filing a Mesothelioma Lawsuit
* Please note that recovery results vary per client. The recovery amounts in each case reflect the specific facts of that case. Further, recovery amounts in past cases are not a guarantee of future results