442 Exposure Sites: Alabama Mesothelioma by the Numbers

Alabama’s asbestos legacy is shaped by two industries that defined the state’s economy through the 20th century: steel production in Birmingham and shipbuilding in Mobile. These industries, along with paper mills, power plants, and chemical manufacturing, created exposure pathways for tens of thousands of workers across the state.

The toll is reflected in the numbers. With 442 documented exposure sites, 616 mesothelioma deaths, and 802 asbestosis deaths, Alabama carries one of the heavier asbestos disease burdens in the Southeast. An estimated 2,464 additional deaths are linked to asbestos-related lung cancer, a disease that is harder to attribute directly but follows the same exposure patterns.

State Rankings

For a full comparison of all 50 states, see our mesothelioma rates by state rankings.

Where Exposure Happened

Alabama’s asbestos burden traces to two primary industrial corridors and several supporting industries that operated across the state for decades.

Birmingham Steel Mills

Birmingham was built on steel. The city sits atop massive deposits of iron ore, coal, and limestone, the three raw materials needed for steelmaking. By the early 1900s, Birmingham had become one of the largest steel-producing cities in the country, rivaling Chicago’s Southeast Side and Gary, Indiana as centers of American steelmaking.

U.S. Steel’s Fairfield Works, Sloss Furnaces, ACIPCO (American Cast Iron Pipe Company), and dozens of smaller foundries and fabrication shops operated across the Birmingham metropolitan area. Inside these facilities, asbestos insulated blast furnaces, ladles, pipes, soaking pits, and electrical systems. Workers who installed, maintained, or worked near insulated equipment inhaled fibers throughout their careers.

The exposure was most severe for insulators, pipefitters, millwrights, and maintenance crews. But production workers on the mill floor breathed the same contaminated air. The steelworker exposure pattern in Birmingham mirrors what happened in other steel cities, with one distinction: Birmingham’s mills ran longer than many competitors, extending the exposure window into the 1980s and beyond.

Mobile Shipyards

Mobile’s shipbuilding industry expanded dramatically during World War II, when the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company (ADDSCO) and other yards along the Mobile River built and repaired hundreds of vessels for the war effort. At its peak, ADDSCO employed more than 30,000 workers.

Shipyards were among the most asbestos-intensive workplaces in America. Asbestos insulated boilers, steam pipes, turbines, and engine rooms. Workers applied it by hand, cutting and fitting sheets of insulation in confined spaces below deck where ventilation was minimal. The fiber concentrations in these enclosed areas were orders of magnitude higher than in open-air industrial settings. The same conditions that created disease in Mobile existed at shipyards in Jacksonville and Tampa and Savannah, Georgia, where Gulf and Atlantic coast yards followed identical construction methods.

The exposure continued after the war as Mobile’s shipyards shifted to commercial vessel construction and repair. Workers who built Liberty ships in the 1940s and maintained cargo vessels in the 1960s and 1970s were all exposed to the same materials.

Paper Mills and Chemical Plants

Alabama’s paper and pulp industry added another layer of exposure. Mills in Mobile, Demopolis, and across the Tennessee Valley used asbestos in boilers, pipes, and processing equipment. Paper mill exposure in Alabama followed the same pattern seen across the Southeast and Midwest, including the Fox Valley paper mills in Wisconsin where the industry’s asbestos use was similarly pervasive. Chemical plants and power generation facilities across the state followed similar patterns.

The construction trades also contributed significantly. Plumbers, electricians, drywall installers, and HVAC workers who built and renovated commercial and residential buildings before 1980 handled asbestos-containing materials routinely.

County-Level Data

Jefferson County and Mobile County together account for a disproportionate share of Alabama’s asbestos disease cases, reflecting the concentration of steel production and shipbuilding in those two metropolitan areas.

Who Is Most at Risk

The occupations with the highest exposure in Alabama reflect the state’s industrial profile. For a national breakdown of which trades carry the highest risk, see the mesothelioma risk by occupation analysis.

• Steelworkers at Fairfield Works, Sloss Furnaces, ACIPCO, and smaller mills
• Shipyard workers at ADDSCO and Mobile River shipbuilding facilities
• Pipefitters and insulators across industrial and commercial construction
• Boilermakers at power plants, paper mills, and industrial facilities
• Paper mill workers at facilities in Mobile, Demopolis, and the Tennessee Valley
• Construction tradespeople working in pre-1980 buildings
• Military personnel at Redstone Arsenal, Maxwell AFB, and Fort Rucker

Secondary exposure also affects families. Workers carried asbestos fibers home on clothing, exposing spouses and children to the same material that caused their own disease. Alabama courts have recognized these take-home exposure claims in recent litigation. A 2026 Virginia Supreme Court ruling on shipyard secondary exposure extended duty-of-care obligations to employers, a precedent with potential implications for similar Alabama cases.

Legal Landscape

For an overview of all current treatment options, see the 2026 mesothelioma treatment landscape. Alabama has produced significant mesothelioma verdicts, including a $115 million Birmingham verdict for steelworkers and a $6.6 million shipyard verdict. The state’s courts have been receptive to asbestos cases, particularly in Jefferson County (Birmingham), where the concentration of industrial exposure sites provides strong evidentiary foundations.

Alabama law allows claims against both solvent companies and bankrupt defendants through asbestos trust funds. An experienced mesothelioma attorney can identify all applicable trusts based on a worker’s employment history and the products used at their specific jobsites.