01. Statistics
Mesothelioma and Asbestos Statistics in Maine
Maine has numerous natural asbestos deposits, as well as a large number of industries, that potentially exposed their workers to the toxin.
- From 1999-2015, 381 Maine residents died from mesothelioma
- Maine suffers the highest mesothelioma mortality rate in the country with about 17 people per million annually (Source: CDC)
- Maine has 22 known areas of naturally occurring asbestos, predominantly found in Franklin and Somerset counties (Source: USGS)
- From 2000-2009, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Waldo and Washington counties in Maine were among the top 50 counties in the U.S. with the highest mesothelioma death rates (Source: CDC)
02. Asbestos in Workplaces
Asbestos Exposure in Maine Workplaces
In addition to the natural asbestos deposits in the state, Maine is home to many industries that used asbestos in the workplace.
Shipbuilding:
Shipyards are notorious hubs for asbestos, as the mineral was used in almost every aspect of a ship from the boiler to the insulation. This practice put bothshipyard workersandNavy veteransat a high risk of exposure. Being a coastal state, Maine was home to several shipyards, including New England Shipbuilding Corporation in South Portland and the South Dry Dock and Repair Company also located in South Portland.
Power Plants:
电厂建于1980年代之前都有asbtos issues. The equipment was largely created with various asbestos materials to protect the machinery from heat damage and help mitigate the risk of combustion. Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant is one of several power plants in Maine known to have contained asbestos.
Paper Mills:
Manufacturing paper remains an important industry in the United States, and supplies thousands of jobs throughout the country. Paper mills contain a lot of equipment and materials that contains asbestos, like drying machines and sandpaper backing. Oxford Paper Company in Portland and Georgia Pacific Paper Mill in Woodland are only a few of many paper mills in Maine that present the risk of asbestos.
Military:
Veterans make up about 30% of all mesothelioma diagnosesbecause of the heavy use of asbestos in every branch. Asbestos was used in buildings on base like in the Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, as well as throughout navy vessels and other equipment veterans used.
Iron Foundries:
Metal workersface extreme heat on the job, and so relied heavily on asbestos materials on the job to protect themselves. Various asbestos clothing, like gloves and jackets, would often be adorned as they worked with metal sheets, or they’d often work with asbestos directly when it’d be used as a spray on the metal products for added durability. Workers at companies like the Sanford Sheet Plant riskedasbestos exposure.
03. Superfund Sites
Asbestos Superfund Sites and Shipyards in Maine
In addition to the natural asbestos deposits, Maine also had two shipyards and two sites included on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund List due to concerns of asbestos.
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a large shipyard in Bath, Maine that was first established in 1884. The shipyard quickly flourished, building its first ship called the Cottage City in 1890. The shipyard built a few more vessels before a fire demolished much of the site in 1894. The owner, Tom Hyde, gathered all his employees to help rebuild. Once the site was back up and running, they focused on building a wide variety of vessels, from yachts to ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Regardless of the type of vessel, asbestos was a go-to material in their construction because of its durability and heat resistance. Any aspect of these ships could contain asbestos, from boiler rooms to insulation, putting countless shipyard workers at risk while constructing or repairing these vessels. Over the years, the shipyard had many ups and downs, but continues to produce a variety of vessels today with a workforce in the thousands.
Brunswick Naval Air Station
前海军站在不伦瑞克第一次打开in 1943 and was an important base throughout World War II and the Cold War. Throughout this time, the 3,100-acre base generated a variety of waste materials, from pesticides and metals to asbestos. These wastes contaminated the soil and groundwater around the area, as well. The site was included on the Superfund List in 1990 under special conditions to allow the base to continue functioning. Since its addition to the list, however, the U.S. Navy and EPA have been involved in many cleanup efforts over the years and invested millions of dollars toward investigating and cleaning the site. The station was later included on the Base Realignment and Closure list in 2005, which was a federal government initiative to increase the Department of Defense’s efficiency. The base officially closed in 2011, and the U.S. Navy continues to conduct cleanup at the site.
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard located in Kittery has been an important shipyard since colonial times, launching ships for the King and later building ships for the Revolution. Eventually, the shipyard began specializing in submarines and grew in importance throughout WWII. The shipyard spans several islands, connected by acres of fill, to keep up with the growing demand. Throughout its history, the shipyard had a lot of hazardous waste stored and disposed of on site, which had runoff into the Piscataqua River. It was added to the Superfund List in 1994 after the EPA realized the extent of contamination. Long-term cleaning efforts and investigations are still ongoing today. The shipyard still functions, largely for overhauling nuclear powered submarines.
04. Other Work Sites
Asbestos Risks at Other Maine Work Sites
Workplace asbestos exposure is also a concern if one looks beyond the major cities and towns in Maine. Select a town below to see the list of its job sites known to have exposed workers to asbestos. Asbestos exposure at any one of the job sites revealed could have placed a worker at risk to developmesothelioma cancerand other asbestos-related diseases.
Maine Directory of Asbestos Work Sites
Select a city to see a list of work sites where asbestos exposure occurred.
, Maine Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred
- A. H. Moulton
- Abenaki Mill
- Acme Engineering
- Alloy Products Company
- American Cyanamid Company
- American Oil
- Ametex Inc.
- Andrew J Newbury
- Androscoggin Mill
- Androscoggin Mills
- Augusta State Hospital
- Augustus R Loring
- Axford Paper Company
- B & M Railroad
- B Charney Vladeck
- Baneroft and Martin
- Bangor Hydro-Electric Company
- Bangor State Hospital
- Bates College
- Bates Manufacturing Company
- Bath Iron Works Corporation
- Belgian Tenacity
- Biddeford & Saco Water Company
- Biddeford Hardware & Plumbing Supply
- Bliss Portland Company
- Blue Rock Quarry
- Boise Cascade Paper Mill
- Bowater Inc
- Bowdoin College
- Broadman Hall
- Brunswick Electric Light and Power Company
- Brunswick Naval Air Station
- Buerhaus Insulation Company
- Burnham and Morrill Company
- C Y R O Industries
- Capodanno
- Carman Thompson Company
- Central Maine General Hospital
- Central Maine Medical Center
- Central Maine Power City
- Central Maine Power Company
- Central Maine Power Company
- Central Maine Power Company
- Central Maine Power Company
- Central Maine Power Computer Ctr
- Central Maine Power Powerhouse
- Champion Paper
- Charles Dauray
- Chemitron Corp
- Chevron Oil Company
- Chinet Company
- City of Bangor Water Works
- Colby College
- Consolidated Electric Light Company
- Conyngham
- Cumberland County Power and Light Company
- Cumberland County Power and Light Company
- Cumberland Mills
- Cutter Fire Brick Company
- Dow Air Force Base
- Downeast Urethane Company
- Eastern Fine Paper and Pulp
- Eastern Manufacturing Company
- Eastern Paper
- Eastern Refractories Inc.
- Econby Corporation
- Elmer Montgomery
- Fairchild Semiconductor Company
- Fells Company
- Fenway Motel
- Forest City Sugar Refining Company
- Fpl Energy Mason Llc
- Georgia Pacific Corporation
- Georgia Pacific Paper Mill
- Georgia Pacific St. Croix
- Great Northern Paper Company
- Great Northern Paper Company
- Great Northern Paper Mill
- Hearst Corppejepscot Paper Div
- Hill Manufacturing Company
- Hollingsworth & Whitney Company
- Hudson Pulp and Paper Company
- Hyde Windlass Company
- International Paper
- International Paper Company
- International Paper Company
- Jay Paper Mill
- Kathadin Pulp and Paper Company
- Kennebec Pulp & Paper Company
- Kennebec River Pulp 8 Paper Company Inc
- Keyes Fibre Company
- Kti Inc
- Kuhr Technologies, Inc.
- Lewiston and Auburn Street Railway Company
- Lewiston Brunswich and Bath St. Railway Company
- Lewiston Gas Light Company
- Lfc Power Systems
- Lincoln Pulp & Paper
- Lockwood Company
- Loring Air Force Base
- Madison Electric
- Madison Paper Corporation
- Maine Central Railroad Company
- Maine Central Railroad Company
- Maine Energy Recovery Company
- Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary
- Maine Medical Center
- Maine Seaboard Paper Company Div of Time Inc
- Maine State Office Building
- Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station
- Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant
- 枫木圣站
- Marine Transport Corp
- Masonic Building
- Mead Paper Group
- Mechanical Services Inc
- Mount Blue High School
- Mt Mercy Academy
- Nathan Clifford School
- New England Insulation Company
- New England Insulation Company
- New England Shipbuilding Corporation
- Northeast Coal & Dock Corp
- Northeastern Paving Corp
- Northern Chemical Industries Inc
- Northern Paper
- Northern Paper Company
- Ohemetron Corp
- Otis Falls Pulp Company
- Otis Mill
- Oxford Paper Company
- Oxford Paper Company
- Pejepscot Paper Company
- Pepperell Mill
- Pharris
- Pine Tree Insulation
- Pineland Hospital & Training Center
- Ponwal State School
- Portland and Yarmouth Electric Railway Company
- Portland Gas Light Company
- Portland Iron Steel Company
- Portland Lighting and Power Company
- Portland Railroad Company
- Portland Stock
- Portland Street Railway Company
- Portland Yarmouth Electric Railway Company
- Post Office & Federal Office Building
- Pownal State School
- R.J. Peacock Canning Company
- S.A. Maxfield Company
- S.D. Warren Company
- Saco-Lowell Shops
- Saint Regis Mill
- Sanford Mills
- Sanford Sheet Plant
- Sappi Fine Papers
- Scott Paper Company
- South Dry Dock and Repair Company
- South Portland Shipyard
- St. Croix Paper Company
- St. Regis Paper Company
- Standard Packaging Corp
- State House
- State of Maine
- Statler Tissue
- Texas Towers 1
- Texas Towers 2
- Theatre Corp of Portland
- Thomaston State Prison
- Todd Shipyard
- Tree Free Fiber Company, Llc
- Twitchell Champlin and Company
- Union Chemical Company
- United States Naval Air Station
- University of Maine
- University of Maine
- W. L. Blake & Company
- W.F. Wyman Power Station
- W.S. Libbey Company
- West Point Pepperell Manufacturing Company
- Willey Calhown
- Winslow and Company
- Wiscasset Steam Plant
- Y.M.C.A.
- Ymca
- York Light and Heat Company
