Mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in California

Documented asbestos exposure in California

We list only sites where asbestos is documented by a government agency or published research. Many other workplaces in California likely used asbestos-containing insulation and equipment, but we do not name a site unless we can point to a record.

The Atlas Asbestos Mine near Coalinga (Fresno County)

EPA's Superfund program describes the Atlas Asbestos Mine site as covering 435 acres near Coalinga. The mine operated from 1963 until 1979 and included the mine itself, a processing mill, support buildings, and extensive asbestos mine tailings. Some milling and mining products from the Atlas mine and the nearby Coalinga Asbestos Mine were taken into the city of Coalinga, where deposits led to air, surface water, sediment, and soil contamination. EPA lists the site's cleanup construction as complete, with continuing monitoring.

Vermiculite plants in Glendale (Los Angeles), Newark, and Santa Ana

Vermiculite mined at Libby, Montana, was contaminated with asbestos. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) studied 28 sites around the country that processed it, and three were in California. California Zonolite, later W.R. Grace, processed it in the Glendale area of Los Angeles from about 1950 to 1977. W.R. Grace plants in Newark (Alameda County) and Santa Ana (Orange County) processed it from about 1966 to 1993 and 1971 to 1993. Company invoices show roughly 337,000 tons shipped to Newark and 453,000 tons to Santa Ana, among the largest amounts ATSDR recorded. In a 1986 permit application, W.R. Grace said dust captured by the Santa Ana plant's filter contained 1% to 3% asbestos. California's Department of Health Services also investigated two California gypsum wallboard plants that used Libby vermiculite.

California filing deadlines

California's general deadline for injury or death is two years (CCP 335.1), but asbestos cases have their own rule. Under CCP 340.2, a person has one year from the later of first suffering disability, meaning time lost from their regular work, or learning that the disability was caused by asbestos. For wrongful death, it is one year from the later of the death or when the family learned asbestos caused or contributed to it.

Also note: Asbestos claims: 1 year from disability or from when the asbestos link was known, whichever is later; for wrongful death, 1 year from death or discovery of the link (CCP 340.2).

Deadlines and discovery rules change and depend on the facts. Confirm them with a lawyer licensed in California. Compare other states in our national table.

Treatment in California

NCI lists 8 designated cancer centers in California that see patients:

VA health care in California

Veterans with asbestos-related illness can get care through VA. These VA health care systems serve California; each system's page lists its medical centers and clinics:

• VA Greater Los Angeles health care
• VA Long Beach health care
• VA Loma Linda health care
• VA San Diego health care
• VA Palo Alto health care
• VA San Francisco health care
• VA Northern California health care
• VA Central California health care

For benefits, see veterans and VA benefits or our veteran claim help form.

Workers' compensation

Work-related illness may fall under California Division of Workers' Compensation. Each state's system has its own notice and filing deadlines. NCI notes that federal civilian employees and longshore and harbor workers have separate federal programs through the U.S. Department of Labor.

Other states

Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington. See all states.