NORTH DAKOTA MESOTHELIOMA LAWYERS

North Dakota is a sparsely populated state located in the Great Plains. Much of present-day North Dakota was included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The climate is largely semi-arid. Persons who suffer from the devastating effects of mesothelioma often feel like they cannot breathe. They may wish to visit North Dakota. The American Lung Association in its 2009 “State of Air” report rated Fargo as having the cleanest air quality of any city in the United States.

North Dakota’s economy has traditionally relied on farming and agriculture. Consequently, the asbestos products routinely used at industrial work sites in other states are not prevalent in the Peace Garden State. The favorable result for North Dakota is that the state has experienced fewer fatalities due to asbestos exposure than virtually all other states.

This does not mean that North Dakota residents are not susceptible to mesothelioma. Workers at power plants, such as Coyote Station, Stanton Powerhouse and United Power, have become afflicted with the rare cancer. The heat and corrosion resistant properties of asbestos were useful in the operation of these power plants. Asbestos products were used as insulation for the plant’s boilers, steam pipes, furnaces, and hot water pipes.

Oil refineries, like power plants, are work sites which have disproportionately exposed workers to asbestos. The process of converting crude oil into fuel involves extreme fire and chemical hazards. The fire retardant properties of asbestos made the mineral ideal in the construction and maintenance of the refineries. The BP-Amoco oil refinery (now owned by Tesoro) in Mandan was built in 1954. Hundreds of miles of pipes were insulated with asbestos materials. North Dakota workers during construction, and for two decades of the refinery’s operation, were unaware of the dangers of asbestos dust. They were not warned to protect themselves.

OCCUPATIONS AT RISK

Below is a list of occupations that put North Dakota workers at a known risk of asbestos exposure. If you worked in one of these occupation in the 1980’s or earlier, there is a good chance you were exposed to asbestos:

Aircraft Mechanics & Repairmen
Automobile Mechanics
Boilermakers
Brick and Stone Masons
Carpenters
Chemical Plant Workers
Chemical Technicians
Construction Workers
Crane and Hoist Men
Drill Press Operators
Drywall Tapers
Electric Power Linemen & Cable Men
Electricians
Engineers
Firefighters
Foundry Workers
Freight and Material Handlers
Furnace Men, Smelter-Men & Pourers
Garage Workers
Grinding Machine Operators
Heavy Equipment Mechanics
HVAC Workers
Industrial Engineers
Industrial Plant Workers
Insulators
Iron Workers
Laborers
Locomotive Engineers
Longshoremen and Stevedores
Machine Operators
Machinists
Merchant Marines
Metal Lathers
Millwrights & Mill Workers
Mixing Operators
Molders
Oil Refinery Workers
Painters
Pipefitters
Plasterers
Plumbers
Power Plant Workers
Railroad Workers
Roofers and Slaters
Sheetmetal Workers
Shipyard Workers
Steamfitters
Textile Operators
Tile Setters
U.S. Navy Veterans
Welders

JOB SITES WITH KNOWN ASBESTOS EXPOSURE

The following is a list of some of the North Dakota job sites where there is a documented use of asbestos products. If you or a family member worked at one of these places, you may be at a heightened risk of asbestos disease.

If you believe that you may have been exposed to asbestos at your own job, please contact one of our mesothelioma attorneys for more information. The sites include:

Power Plants

Center Power Plant
Coyote Power Station
Hughes Electric Company
Montana Dakota Power Company
Stanton Powerhouse
United Power

Oil and Refineries

BP Amoco

Other sites

Garrison Dam
Grand Forks Air Force Base
Langdon Missile Sites
Libby, Montana vermiculite
Minot Air Force Base
Northern Pacific Railway

MESOTHELIOMA IN NORTH DAKOTA

Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive and deadly cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of the body’s internal organs. It most often affects the tissue that surrounds the lungs. North Dakota’s industrial workers have among the lowest malignant mesothelioma mortality rates in the nation. While this is good news, there are still several North Dakota residents per year who are afflicted with the fatal disease.

Mesothelioma has a lengthy latency period. This means that a person develops mesothelioma long after the initial exposure to asbestos. This period ranges from 10 to 50 years after contact with the asbestos product. As a result, the number of mesothelioma deaths in North Dakota will continue.

NORTH DAKOTA MESOTHELIOMA LAWYER

Our firm has succeeded in securing millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements over the past 35 years. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and you believe you were exposed to asbestos North Dakota, it is critical that you immediately contact a skilled mesothelioma lawyer. This is because there are statutes of limitation, which afford victims only a limited time period to file a lawsuit.

You should contact one of our experienced mesothelioma lawyers for a free consultation. We can help you investigate the sources of your asbestos exposure and ascertain the responsible companies.