Mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in Maryland

Documented asbestos exposure in Maryland

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

A vermiculite plant in Beltsville (Prince George's County)

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. The Zonolite Company, later W.R. Grace, plant in Beltsville processed Libby vermiculite from 1966 to the early 1990s, with an estimated 14 employees, and invoices show roughly 93,100 tons received. In an internal report, W.R. Grace documented that the Beltsville plant processed 5,581 tons of vermiculite concentrate in 1978 and generated about 830 tons of waste rock, the material ATSDR says can contain asbestos. ATSDR counted about 320 people living within a mile of the site.

We are researching other documented sites in Maryland, including shipyards and steel plants, and will add them only when we can cite a government or published record.

Maryland filing deadlines

Maryland allows three years for personal injury (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 5-101) and three years for wrongful death (3-904(g)). For a death caused by an occupational disease, the claim must be filed within 10 years of the death or 3 years after the cause was discovered, whichever is shorter (3-904(g)(2); see also 5-113).

Also note: Occupational disease deaths: within 10 years of death or 3 years of discovering the cause, whichever is shorter (3-904(g)(2); see also 5-113).

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

Treatment in Maryland

NCI lists 2 designated cancer centers in Maryland that see patients:

VA health care in Maryland

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

• VA Maryland health care
• VA Washington DC health care

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

Workers' compensation

Work-related illness may fall under Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission. 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

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