Cancer

About State Line Plant | Hammond

Facility Overview and Industrial History

The State Line Plant in Hammond, Indiana, was one of the Chicago region’s major coal-fired power generating facilities, operating for decades along Lake Michigan’s southern shore near the Illinois-Indiana border. Originally built in the early twentieth century and expanded substantially through mid-century as regional electricity demand grew, the plant was ultimately operated by Dominion Generation Inc., a subsidiary of Dominion Resources, before ceasing commercial generation in the early 2000s.

The plant sits within the broader Great Lakes industrial corridor—a network of power generation, steel, and chemical facilities stretching from neighboring states northward through Indiana. Workers from neighboring states routinely traveled to facilities like the State Line Plant for construction, maintenance outages, and specialty trade work, returning home to communities along the Ohio River with asbestos fibers on their clothing and tools.

Indiana residents who worked at State Line may have legal options in Indiana courts, Illinois courts, or both. An experienced asbestos attorney can evaluate your work history and identify which jurisdiction gives you the strongest path to recovery.

Key facts about the State Line Plant:

• Built in the early 1900s; expanded through mid-century
• Operated as a baseload coal-fired generating station serving the Chicago metropolitan area and northwestern Indiana
• Employed hundreds to thousands of workers throughout its operational life, including permanent plant staff, maintenance crews, construction contractors, and specialty tradespeople—insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, electricians, and welders
• Members of Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1, and Boilermakers Local 374

During original construction and early expansions, asbestos-containing materials were the unquestioned industrial standard. Boiler insulation was typically applied as block insulation or spray-applied coatings containing significant percentages of amphibole asbestos fibers, reportedly supplied by. Pipe covering throughout the steam distribution network potentially included calcium silicate pipe insulation and Thermobestos brand products. Structural fireproofing may have incorporated spray-applied coatings and asbestos-containing refractory materials. Gaskets and packing at pipe joints, valves, and flanges throughout the facility reportedly contained asbestos, gaskets and packing, and other suppliers.

This era mirrors what Indiana tradespeople were building simultaneously at comparable regional power stations, and comparable regional facilities—the same manufacturers, the same products, the same absence of warnings.

Peak Exposure Period (1950s–1975)

Occupational health researchers identify 1950 through 1975 as the period of highest aggregate asbestos exposure at facilities like the State Line Plant:

• Aging asbestos-containing insulation systems were regularly disturbed during maintenance outages, creating secondary exposure among adjacent workers—electricians and boilermakers breathing the same air as insulators tearing out pipe covering
• Maintenance workers removing and reapplying asbestos pipe covering and boiler block insulation may have accumulated the highest cumulative fiber exposures of any workers at the facility
• New construction reportedly continued to incorporate asbestos-containing materials, and other manufacturers as standard practice through this period
• Asbestos-containing floor tiles, ceiling tiles, and wall panels were present throughout control rooms, office areas, and maintenance facilities

Indiana union members from Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1, UA Local 157, and Boilermakers Local 374 reportedly traveled to power plant outages throughout the Midwest during these years. Workers whose union dispatch records place them at the State Line Plant during this period may have documentation that directly supports their exposure history—and their asbestos trust fund and litigation claims.

Regulatory Change Era (1975–2000s)

OSHA began regulating occupational asbestos exposure in 1971 and progressively tightened permissible exposure limits over the following two decades. EPA’s NESHAP program imposed additional requirements governing asbestos in demolition and renovation projects.

Despite those regulatory changes, workers at the State Line Plant may have continued to encounter legacy asbestos-containing materials already installed in aging plant systems. Workers involved in maintenance of pre-existing insulation, removal and replacement of block insulation and pipe coverings, and repair work in areas where , and similar manufacturer materials remained in place may have been exposed to friable asbestos-containing materials throughout this period.

Decommissioning and Demolition

When the State Line Plant ceased commercial generation, decommissioning and demolition created a distinct and concentrated exposure risk. Decades of accumulated asbestos-containing materials—insulation, fireproofing, gaskets, floor and ceiling tiles—were disturbed by abatement contractors, demolition crews, and specialty tradespeople. Workers brought in from neighboring states for this work may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials during a period when concentrations of disturbed fiber can be significantly elevated compared to routine plant operations. NESHAP records for demolition and renovation projects at this facility may document the scope of asbestos-containing materials identified and abated.