Illinois Industrial Asbestos
Exposure Records
Facility history, public agency records, and product documentation for workers and families faced with mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease in Illinois. 327 jobsite reports indexed.
Understanding Asbestos-Related Diseases
What Is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. It affects the mesothelium — the thin lining around the lungs (pleural), abdomen (peritoneal), or heart (pericardial). Because of a latency period of 20 to 50 years between exposure and diagnosis, many patients are diagnosed decades after their working years ended.
Who is at risk: workers in powerhouses, refineries, shipyards, manufacturing, and construction — and family members who experienced secondary exposure through work clothing.
Learn more about mesothelioma →Lung Cancer & Asbestos
Lung cancer was the first cancer to be affirmatively linked to asbestos exposure. Many other cancers have since been documented in the medical literature. Risk is multiplied substantially for smokers who were also exposed to asbestos — a synergistic effect that can increase risk far beyond either factor alone.
Unlike mesothelioma, lung cancer has many possible causes. A diagnosis combined with documented occupational asbestos exposure can still qualify for trust fund claims and litigation.
Other Diseases Linked to Asbestos
Asbestos exposure has been linked to a range of serious diseases beyond mesothelioma and lung cancer:
- Asbestosis — progressive scarring of lung tissue (pulmonary fibrosis); compensable through workers' comp and civil claims
- Pleural plaques — calcified thickening of the lung lining; not on its own a compensable injury but important medical evidence if disease progresses
- Colon cancer — documented in workers with significant exposure
- Esophageal cancer — linked to ingested asbestos fibers
Asbestosis and asbestos-related cancers may qualify for trust fund claims and civil litigation against product manufacturers.
What Are the Most Important Things To Do Right Now?
A diagnosis of mesothelioma or any asbestos-related disease can be overwhelming.
Get a clinical diagnosis — see an oncologist (or pulmonologist)
Ask your primary care physician for a referral to an oncologist — they specialize in cancer treatment and will guide the diagnostic workup — or to a pulmonologist who treats asbestos-related lung disease. An accurate diagnosis is the foundation for everything else.
Keep records of all medical visits
Keep as many records as you can from medical visits — tests, scans, pathology reports, and doctor's notes. Don't worry if you're missing some; a dedicated professional can help obtain them on your behalf.
Document your work history and exposure sites
Write down every employer, jobsite, and trade you worked in — especially before 1980. Include military service. This becomes the backbone of understanding when and where exposure occurred.
Consult a mesothelioma attorney
Illinois’s statute of limitations for asbestos claims is two years from diagnosis (735 ILCS 5/13-202); wrongful-death claims have their own separate deadline. Consultations are free and an attorney can assess your specific situation without pressure or commitment — speak with an asbestos and mesothelioma attorney with experience in Illinois ›
Connect with a patient support community
Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF), the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), and local patient groups offer peer support, treatment information, and resources at no cost.
Mesothelioma Treatment & Specialized Cancer Centers
Treatment outcomes for mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and pleural disease differ substantially based on where care is received. High-volume programs with dedicated multidisciplinary teams have access to clinical trials, specialized surgical techniques, and pathologists who see these cases regularly.
Northwestern Medicine's NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Major thoracic-oncology program and active mesothelioma clinical trials.
NCI-Comprehensive. Global leader in peritoneal mesothelioma and HIPEC; pioneered Sugarbaker protocol. Major Illinois referral center.
Central Illinois regional cancer program at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Multidisciplinary thoracic oncology team.
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's regional cancer center serving central and southern Illinois patients.
Southern Illinois Healthcare's regional oncology program serving the Marion/Carbondale/southern Illinois corridor.
Dedicated Thoracic Center with the largest clinical trial program globally. Consistently ranked #1. The standard against which all mesothelioma programs are measured.
Pioneered lung-sparing surgical approaches for pleural mesothelioma. Global leader in thoracic oncology research and volume.
Home of the world's first International Mesothelioma Program (IMP). Leading EPP surgical expertise. VA-affiliated.
Elite thoracic surgery division with team-based approach to complex cases. Geographically accessible for many Illinois patients.
Innovative lung-sparing surgeries and a world-renowned mesothelioma program. VA-affiliated through West LA VA — relevant for military exposure.
Global leader in peritoneal mesothelioma. Pioneered and refined the Sugarbaker Procedure / HIPEC. Highly accessible from Illinois.
One of the largest U.S. mesothelioma programs by patient volume. HIPEC expertise for peritoneal disease.
Named for Irving Selikoff, whose research defined asbestos disease as a public health crisis. Decades of specialized research and the 9/11 first responder program.
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials — NIH ClinicalTrials.gov
Three active trials accepting new patients. Refreshed monthly from clinicaltrials.gov · updated June 2026
Listings come directly from the U.S. National Library of Medicine. This site does not screen or recommend trials — consult your treating physician.
Facing a Diagnosis: What to Know
Answers to the questions patients and families ask most — latency, smoking history, family exposure, and what incomplete records mean for your case.
Asbestos-Related Diseases & Your Legal Rights
Illinois workers diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease typically pursue compensation through civil litigation against asbestos-product manufacturers and bankruptcy trust funds — the established path for serious asbestos disease cases.
Civil Lawsuit Against Asbestos-Product Manufacturers
- Filed against product manufacturers, not your employer
- Covers medical costs, lost income, pain & suffering
- Access to 60+ asbestos bankruptcy trust funds
- Illinois personal-injury SOL: 2 years from date of diagnosis (735 ILCS 5/13-202)
- Illinois wrongful-death SOL: 2 years from date of death (740 ILCS 180/2)
- Personal-injury and wrongful-death claims operate on separate clocks and can proceed together
Illinois Facility Types
All 327 jobsite reports →
Illinois Asbestos Exposure Sites
View all 327 jobsite reports →Many Illinois workers spent careers at plants in Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio. Asbestos exposure doesn’t stop at the state border — your full work history matters.
Every Jobsite Page Links to the AsbestosIndex Product Crosswalk
AsbestosIndex.com documents 1,563 industrial facilities with manufacturer catalogs and product-level evidence — organized by facility type and system. When you find an Illinois jobsite report here, the crosswalk links directly to the products that were specified for that facility's systems.
Connect With an Asbestos and Mesothelioma Attorney with Experience in Illinois
A diagnosis of mesothelioma or an asbestos-related illness may entitle you and your family to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An experienced Illinois attorney can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.
- Free case evaluation — no obligation to hire
- No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery
- Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
- Trust fund claims and civil lawsuits pursued simultaneously
Browse by Topic
Build a documented exposure history across every facility you worked at. Add your email when you're done and we'll send you a PDF copy you can keep, share, or print.
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