Birmingham Exposure Map
Documented Exposure Sites
| # | Facility | Area | Industry | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US Steel Fairfield Works (Tennessee Coal Iron — TCI) | Fairfield | Integrated Steel | Critical |
| 2 | Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron (Sloss Furnaces) | Birmingham | Pig Iron / Steel | Critical |
| 3 | American Cast Iron Pipe (ACIPCO) | North Birmingham | Pipe Manufacturing | High |
| 4 | Hayes International Aircraft | Birmingham | Aerospace / Defense | High |
| 5 | Alabama Power Gorgas Plant | Parrish (Birmingham area) | Power Generation | High |
| 6 | Connors Steel (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Steel Fabrication | Moderate |
| 7 | Republic Steel (Gadsden) | Gadsden | Steel | High |
Birmingham’s “Pittsburgh of the South” Steel Industry
Birmingham was founded in 1871 at the intersection of coal, iron ore, and limestone deposits — the three raw materials needed for steel production. Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company (TCI), acquired by US Steel in 1907, built the Fairfield Works into one of the largest integrated steel complexes in the American South. At peak production, the Fairfield Works employed 25,000 workers operating blast furnaces, coke ovens, and rolling mills heavily insulated with asbestos-containing materials.
Sloss Furnaces, established in 1882, produced pig iron continuously until 1971. The furnaces and the associated hot blast stoves used asbestos insulation on all high-temperature pipe runs and furnace walls. ACIPCO, founded in 1905 and still operating today, manufactured ductile iron pipe using asbestos insulation and asbestos-containing gaskets throughout its production facilities.
Hayes International maintained aircraft in Birmingham and was a significant employer for aviation maintenance workers who worked with asbestos brake linings and heat shields on military and commercial aircraft.
Yes. Workers at US Steel Fairfield, Sloss Furnaces, ACIPCO, and other Birmingham-area steel facilities were exposed to asbestos insulation on furnaces, boilers, and piping throughout the mid-20th century. Maintenance pipe fitters, boilermakers, and insulators received the highest exposures. Alabama’s 2-year statute of limitations (Ala. Code § 6-2-38) begins on the date of confirmed mesothelioma diagnosis — one of the shortest filing windows in the country. Contact an attorney immediately after diagnosis.