Mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in Milwaukee

Milwaukee earned a reputation as a machine shop to the world. Large manufacturers built turbines, engines, mining equipment and industrial machinery, and many of these products and the plants that made them used asbestos in insulation, gaskets and packing. Foundries cast metal parts at high temperatures, using asbestos for heat protection. Workers who assembled, tested or repaired heavy equipment could be exposed as they handled these materials. Some large plants had their own powerhouses and test facilities, where engines and turbines were run and adjusted. Workers in those areas could be around asbestos insulation and gaskets throughout the day, even if their main job was assembly or inspection.

Coal-fired power plants along Lake Michigan kept Milwaukee's factories running, and their boilers and turbines were wrapped in asbestos insulation. Construction of offices, schools and homes across the growing city added fireproofing and pipe insulation. Many Milwaukee workers stayed in manufacturing for their whole careers, sometimes at several plants, so their exposure histories can be long and detailed. Many Milwaukee tradespeople belonged to union halls that sent them to factories, power plants and construction sites across southeastern Wisconsin. Over a long career, that could mean dozens of job sites. Custodians and engineers in older schools, hospitals and office buildings could also be exposed during boiler and pipe repairs.