The Morton Salt & Chemical Plant in Manistee Michigan is a known source of asbestos exposure. While primarily known originally for its part in Michigan’s lumber industry, Manistee, Michigan is home to another thriving industry that of salt. Salt deposits leftover from the large primordial seas that at one time covered Michigan can be found throughout various parts of the state. Once such large deposit can be found in the area of Manistee. This deposit has allowed for a thriving chemical/salt industry to grow in the area. Several companies started mining and making salt including, in 1922 the Ruggles and Rademaker Salt Company constructed and operated a large salt factory along the banks of the Manistee Lake. However, by the 1930’s the partnership between the owners of Ruggles & Rademaker was purchased by Morton Salt. Morton Salt is still operating the plant today and the salt that they produce is used in various products ranging from culinary salts to water softening salts.
The Morton Salt Plant in Manistee actually consisted of two plants. One was the Salt Division, and the other was the Chemical Division which consisted of a Bromide, Elastomag, and Magnesia Plants. Bromide was discovered at the location in 1928 eventually leading to the chemical plant’s construction. The salt division produced an enormous amount of salt using the evaporation method. Water and steam were filtered down to the salt bed which produced brine. The brine was pumped into storage tanks and eventually dried out using salt pans and turned into salt.
The plant consisted of numerous buildings and departments including a Powerhouse to produce steam and electricity for the production of salt and the chemicals. The Powerhouse consisted of two boilers and one turbine generator. In 1981, two new boilers were built. There was a Deaerating, feedwater, and stoker systems for the boilers. In addition, there was a compressor room in the Powerhouse.
According to documents we obtained the Powerhouse had asbestos-containing ceiling panels, boiler, blower, turbine and pipe insulation, siding and roofing in addition to the numerous asbestos gasket, packing and sealing products used in the equipment.
The Panhouse consisted of several salt pan evaporators and tanks to produce salt. Of course steam was required in this process and asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets and packing were utilized, along with asbestos roofing and siding. The salt pan vessels were covered with asbestos insulation as well as the various pipelines thru out the Salt Plant.
In the chemical division asbestos-containing materials were located on the various pipelines, the Jeffrey dryer, the calciners, condensers, heat exchanger, blowers and other equipment. In addition asbestos-containing gaskets, packing and other asbestos materials were used in the chemical division.
Asbestos materials were also present in the maintenance and Machine Shop departments including asbestos brakes, clutches, insulation, blankets, gaskets, packing and other materials that were used by the maintenance men.
Some of the exposed occupations at Morton Salt & Chemical Plant were:
- Boiler Operator
- Boiler Utility Workers
- Electricians
- Laborers
- Maintenance Workers
- Mechanics & Millwrights
- Operators
- Pipefitters
- Painters
- Powerhouse Repairmen
- Powerhouse Operators
- Production Workers
- Store Room Clerks and Tenders
Asbestos exposures occurred from the use of the following products, brake and clutch linings, cloth, expansion joints, gaskets, insulation, millboard, packing, roofing, refractories, safety clothing, siding, steam hoses and other asbestos materials.
If you or a loved one have questions regarding asbestos exposure at Morton Salt or anywhere in Michigan, we have Michigan based and licensed lawyers with over 50 combined years of experience that would be able to assist you. John Pomerville an Asbestos & Mesothelioma Attorney with Goldberg Persky & White was born and raised in Manistee, MI and attended Manistee Public Schools. He still has family and friends in the community and is very knowledgeable in regards to asbestos exposure at Morton Salt, Mesothelioma and the other asbestos diseases caused by asbestos exposure. Attorney Pomerville has represented many individuals with mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis in Manistee County Circuit Court in the past 20 years. If you have any questions concerning your exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma at Morton Salt in Manistee, MI call John and our Michigan-based mesothelioma lawyers may be able to give guidance if you were exposed to asbestos in Manistee, MI.
If you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma you should immediately speak with an experienced Michigan based Lawyer to preserve your legal rights as this is a time sensitive matter and knowing the facts will help you make the best medical and legal decisions possible and help you recover financial compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.
We have represented people injured by exposure to asbestos whose work histories include Morton Salt in Manistee, Michigan. Our extensive database of jobsites and asbestos product identification built over 30 years of specializing in asbestos lawsuits allows us to effectively and efficiently represent those injured by asbestos in the workplace.
Why does it matter that Morton Salt is in our jobsite database?
In order to successfully pursue an asbestos claim, your lawyer needs to be familiar with the jobsites you worked at, including
- the companies that employed you,
- the products they purchased and used, and
- the companies who produced those products;
- depositions, testimony of other Manistee Asbestos disease victims
- documentation from the Plant and the Defendants
After more than 30 years pioneering asbestos litigation, we have a vast knowledge base covering things such as company diagrams, invoices from asbestos product manufacturers, revealing company memos demonstrating their knowledge of the risks, asbestos product packaging through the years, depositions from leading experts, and medical and scientific literature dating from the late 1800s to the current day.
Morton Salt is one of tens of thousands of jobsites in our database.
Being familiar with many different industries, manufacturers, and products means we can efficiently and effectively identify all the asbestos containing products that contributed to your injury. It’s a breadth of knowledge gained from years of experience representing people injured by asbestos and their families.
Asbestos Exposure Injuries
Asbestos exposure can cause a variety of non-cancerous and cancerous injuries such as:
- mesothelioma
- lung cancer
- colon and colo-rectal cancers
- throat cancer
- laryngeal cancer
- esophageal
- asbestosis/pulmonary fibrosis
Did you work at Morton Salt in Manistee, Michigan? Have you been injured by asbestos? Contact us today for a FREE, no obligation consultation: 1-800-799-2234.
Other sites in Manistee with significant asbestos exposures are Hardy Salt, Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), and Martin Marietta.
