E.D. Edwards Power Station

About E.D. Edwards Power Station Peoria County Illinois

The E.D. Edwards Generating Station sits along the Illinois River in Bartonville, just south of Peoria. Ameren Illinois operated it—previously Illinois Power and Central Illinois Light Company, known regionally as CILCO. Named after former CILCO executive Elbert Dent Edwards, the facility served as one of the primary sources of electrical generation for central Illinois for generations.

Construction and expansion timeline:

• 1950s: Initial plant operations began
• 1960s–1970s: Major construction phases and unit expansions—precisely the period when asbestos use in American industrial construction peaked. Insulators from Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1 (St. Louis, MO) and boilermakers from affiliated locals are alleged to have installed tens of thousands of tons of asbestos-containing materials during this era
• Throughout operational life: Constant maintenance, repair, and renovation continued to disturb those asbestos installations, allegedly exposing successive generations of workers

The Engineering Reality of Coal-Fired Power Plants

Coal-fired power plants rank among the most asbestos-intensive workplaces ever built. Generating electricity required materials that could withstand extreme heat and resist fire. For most of the twentieth century, asbestos was the industry standard—not by accident, but because , ceiling tile, gaskets and packing, and other manufacturers aggressively marketed their products while allegedly concealing the deadly health hazards from engineers, contractors, and workers.

What Materials Allegedly Contained Asbestos at Edwards Station?

Boiler insulation and refractory materials:

• calcium silicate pipe insulation asbestos block insulation on boiler exterior lagging
• Asbestos refractory cement containing chrysotile asbestos lining boiler fireboxes
• Thermobestos asbestos cloth and asbestos-containing bricks manufactured by Thermal American and other suppliers
• Asbestos-containing castable refractories used in hot-face applications rated for sustained temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit

High-pressure steam piping systems:

• , ceiling tile, and asbestos pipe covering products, including calcium silicate pipe insulation and Thermobestos brands
• Asbestos cement applied over pipe coverings throughout the facility
• Asbestos-wrapped connections and flanges representing millions of square feet of installed material
• asbestos-containing joint compounds and sealants at flange interfaces

Turbines, pumps, and valves:

• gaskets and packing asbestos gaskets and packing materials in all major rotating equipment
• Flexitallic asbestos-containing gaskets at thousands of connection points
• Asbestos packing material in pump and valve shafts throughout the facility
• and other manufacturers’ valve components containing asbestos seals and gaskets

Electrical and safety systems:

• Asbestos arc-suppression material in circuit breakers and switchgear manufactured by Square D, General Electric, Westinghouse, and Cutler-Hammer
• spray-applied fireproofing and other asbestos-containing fireproofing sprays applied to electrical equipment enclosures
• Asbestos wire and cable insulation in high-temperature applications throughout boiler rooms and turbine halls

Structural fireproofing:

• Sprayed asbestos fireproofing applied to structural steel in turbine halls and boiler buildings, reportedly containing 30–50% asbestos by weight
• and other suppliers’ asbestos-containing sealants
• asbestos-containing caulking materials in expansion joints and curtain wall systems

When Was This Asbestos Installed and Disturbed?

Initial construction (1950s–early 1960s): , and ceiling tile supplied the majority of boiler unit insulation, turbine hall fireproofing, and primary piping system materials. Insulators from Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1 installed thousands of linear feet of asbestos pipe covering. Boilermakers applied asbestos-containing refractories and gaskets throughout the facility.

Unit expansions (1960s–1970s): Additional generating capacity brought new rounds of asbestos installation, including new calcium silicate pipe insulation block insulation, Thermobestos pipe covering, and Armstrong-supplied materials.

Routine maintenance outages: Regular plant shutdowns required insulators, boilermakers, and pipefitters to remove and replace significant quantities of calcium silicate pipe insulation block, ceiling tile pipe covering, and gaskets and packing asbestos gaskets—operations that allegedly generated massive fiber releases in confined boiler rooms and equipment spaces with little or no ventilation.

Emergency repairs: Boiler failures, steam line ruptures, turbine damage, and other emergencies required rapid asbestos disturbance with minimal safety controls. Workers reportedly had no respiratory protection while removing hot, friable calcium silicate pipe insulation insulation or handling deteriorated asbestos packing materials under emergency conditions.

Modifications and upgrades: Regulatory changes, operational improvements, and equipment replacements continued to disturb asbestos materials manufactured by , Armstrong, and gaskets and packing throughout the plant’s operational life until final decommissioning.

Insulators (Heat and Frost Insulators)

Exposure level: EXTREMELY HIGH

Insulators’ work was almost entirely defined by handling asbestos-containing thermal insulation. Workers may have been exposed during every phase of that work.

Installation work allegedly involved:

• Cutting calcium silicate pipe insulation asbestos block insulation to length with hand saws, knives, and pneumatic tools
• Mixing asbestos cement—reportedly containing 50–80% chrysotile asbestos—to workable consistency by hand
• Applying ceiling tile and Armstrong asbestos pipe covering to high-temperature piping with adhesive and binding wire
• Sealing calcium silicate pipe insulation block installations with additional asbestos cement or asbestos canvas cloth
• Working in enclosed, poorly ventilated boiler rooms and equipment spaces at temperatures exceeding 140 degrees Fahrenheit

Stripping (removal) work allegedly involved:

• Removing decades-old calcium silicate pipe insulation block insulation from equipment for inspection or repair
• Handling brittle, heavily friable material that had deteriorated over 20 to 30 years of service
• Generating clouds of airborne asbestos fibers in confined spaces with no negative pressure ventilation or engineered containment
• Removing asbestos cement and putty using hand tools, producing visible dust
• Bagging asbestos waste materials for disposal

Documented union connection: Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1 (St. Louis, MO) supplied workers to E.D. Edwards Station and similar Ameren facilities including Labadie Energy Center (Franklin County, MO), Portage des Sioux Power Plant (St. Charles County, MO), Rush Island Energy Center (Jefferson County, MO), and Sioux Energy Center (St. Charles County, MO). Union records show regular rotation of insulators through these facilities during major maintenance outages, when asbestos disturbance was most intense.

Boilermakers

Exposure level: EXTREMELY HIGH

Boilermakers constructed, inspected, repaired, and overhauled the massive boiler units at the heart of the facility—work that placed them in direct contact with asbestos-containing materials throughout their careers.

Exposure sources allegedly included:

• Working inside boiler fireboxes and steam drums coated with asbestos refractory cement containing chrysotile, amosite, and other asbestos varieties
• Handling calcium silicate pipe insulation and Thermobestos insulation disturbed during inspection and repair operations
• Breathing asbestos dust drifting from simultaneous removal operations conducted by insulators in the same confined spaces
• Using grinding and chipping tools to remove refractory scale containing asbestos fibers
• Handling asbestos-containing gaskets manufactured by gaskets and packing and Flexitallic when breaking boiler connections

Cumulative exposure: Boilermakers who worked Edwards Station for 10-, 20-, or 30-year careers received continuous exposure during major maintenance outages every two to three years, each running four to eight weeks. Establishing that exposure history requires an attorney with experience in power plant asbestos litigation—not a generalist.

Pipefitters and Steamfitters

Exposure level: VERY HIGH

Pipefitters worked on extensive steam systems operating at 500-plus PSI and 800-plus degrees Fahrenheit, plus condensate, feedwater, cooling water, and fuel oil piping throughout the facility.

Exposure sources allegedly included:

• Removing calcium silicate pipe insulation and ceiling tile asbestos insulation to access pipe for welding, cutting, or repair
• Working immediately alongside insulators actively stripping and applying asbestos-containing materials in the same confined spaces
• Cutting and threading asbestos-cement pipe using handheld and power tools that generated respirable dust
• Breaking flanged connections packed with gaskets and packing asbestos gaskets and compressed asbestos packing that crumbled on removal
• Applying pipe dope and thread sealants that allegedly contained asbestos in certain formulations

Duration of exposure: Pipefitters on long-term maintenance contracts at Edwards Station may have accumulated decades of repeated asbestos exposure. Many of these workers are now in the 20-to-50-year latency window for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related disease.

Boiler Operators and Plant Operators

Exposure level: HIGH

Plant operators spent full shifts in boiler rooms, turbine halls, and equipment spaces where asbestos-containing materials were installed on virtually every piece of process equipment.

Exposure sources allegedly included:

• Daily presence in boiler rooms where asbestos insulation on boilers, steam headers, and piping was in various states of deterioration
• Performing minor maintenance tasks—tightening packing, replacing gaskets—that disturbed asbestos-containing materials without respiratory protection
• Supervising and working alongside contractors performing active asbestos removal without protection or segregation from the work area
• Breathing ambient fiber levels elevated by deteriorating asbestos insulation on overhead piping and equipment

Electricians

Exposure level: HIGH

Electricians throughout the facility may have been exposed to asbestos from