Mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in Wisconsin

Documented asbestos exposure in Wisconsin

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

Wisconsin's study of mesothelioma by industry and job

Wisconsin Department of Health Services researchers studied every mesothelioma diagnosis and death in the state from 1997 to 2013, by the person's usual industry and job. Their 2018 paper found mesothelioma incidence and mortality were higher in Wisconsin than expected from national rates (about 1.2 times for new cases and 1.3 times for deaths, after adjustment), and that construction and manufacturing industries and construction and extraction jobs were linked to higher odds, with some evidence of higher risk among teachers. The department's fact sheet summarizes the findings: workers at chemical manufacturing companies were about 4 times as likely to die from mesothelioma, construction, utility, and fabricated metal companies about 3 times, and paper manufacturing companies about 2 times. Construction workers were about 4 times as likely, and engineers, metal and plastic workers, installation and repair workers, and teachers about 2 times. The fact sheet says 88% of Wisconsin residents who die from mesothelioma are 60 or older.

Fraser Shipyards in Superior (Douglas County)

In 2016 the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Fraser Shipyards in Superior after inspecting work on a ship's engine room. The U.S. Department of Labor said the company failed to identify and inform workers of the presence, location, and quantity of asbestos-containing material despite having a written asbestos program, and that workers cut into piping and equipment during demolition without being told asbestos was present. OSHA also cited lead overexposure and proposed about $1.4 million in penalties; its records show the case later closed with a formal settlement and reduced penalties. OSHA's records also show an earlier asbestos citation at the shipyard in 2000.

We are researching other documented sites in Wisconsin, including Great Lakes shipyards and paper mills, and will add them only when we can cite a government or published record.

Wisconsin filing deadlines

Wisconsin allows three years for personal injury and three years for wrongful death (Wis. Stat. 893.54(1m)(a) and (b)). The statute does not say when the three years start for an illness. In Hansen v. A.H. Robins Co. (1983), the Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted a discovery rule for tort claims: a claim accrues when the injury is discovered, or reasonably should have been discovered, whichever comes first. A Wisconsin lawyer should check how that applies to the dates in a mesothelioma case. Wrongful death claims arising from motor vehicle accidents have a shorter two-year period (893.54(2m)), which does not apply to asbestos disease.

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

Where Wisconsin cases are heard

In Wisconsin, larger civil injury and wrongful death lawsuits are usually filed in the state's circuit court for the county. Federal district courts in Wisconsin can also hear some cases, for example when the people and companies involved are from different states. Which court, and which county, a case belongs in depends on where exposure happened and where the companies involved are based, and a lawyer makes that call. The state's court system is at Wisconsin Court System.

Mesothelioma in Wisconsin by the numbers

CDC's U.S. Cancer Statistics, queried on CDC WONDER, count 277 mesothelioma deaths among Wisconsin residents from 2019 to 2023. That is an age-adjusted rate of 7.1 deaths per million people per year (95% confidence interval 6.3 to 8.0), ranked 11 of the 50 states and DC from highest to lowest. It is above the national rate of 5.6, and the difference is larger than the statistical margin of error.

For new diagnoses, CDC WONDER reports 357 cases in Wisconsin from 2018 to 2022, an age-adjusted incidence rate of 9.4 per million per year (rank 9).

An older NIOSH surveillance report, which counts every death certificate that mentions mesothelioma for people age 15 and over, recorded 388 such deaths in Wisconsin from 1999 to 2004, an age-adjusted rate of 14.58 per million (rank 12). The two systems count differently, so compare each one only with itself.

These figures are counted by where people lived when they were diagnosed or died, not where they were exposed. See how Wisconsin compares with every state on our statistics by state page.

Treatment in Wisconsin

NCI lists one designated cancer center in Wisconsin that sees patients:

VA health care in Wisconsin

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

• VA Milwaukee health care
• VA Madison health care
• VA Tomah health care

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

Workers' compensation

Work-related illness may fall under Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Worker's Compensation Division. 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

Nearby state guides: Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota. See all state guides.