East Chicago Exposure Map
Documented Exposure Sites
| # | Facility | Area | Industry | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inland Steel Indiana Harbor Works | Indiana Harbor | Integrated Steel | Critical |
| 2 | Lever Brothers Plant | East Chicago | Chemical / Consumer Goods | High |
| 3 | American Cyanamid | East Chicago | Chemical Manufacturing | High |
| 4 | Indiana Harbor Ship Canal Terminals | East Chicago | Port / Maritime | Moderate |
| 5 | Youngstown Sheet & Tube (East Chicago) | East Chicago | Steel Manufacturing | High |
Indiana Harbor: The Calumet Region’s Steel Corridor
Inland Steel’s Indiana Harbor Works, along with Youngstown Sheet & Tube’s East Chicago plant, made this stretch of the Calumet region one of the most concentrated steel manufacturing corridors in the country. At its peak, Inland Steel alone employed roughly 18,000 workers across blast furnaces, coke ovens, and finishing mills that used asbestos insulation extensively.
Beyond steel, East Chicago’s chemical plants — including Lever Brothers and American Cyanamid — used asbestos in pipe insulation, reactor vessel lagging, and protective equipment. Workers moving between the steel mills, chemical plants, and port terminals along the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal faced exposure from multiple industrial sources within a few square miles.
Trades most heavily affected include pipefitters, boilermakers, and maintenance millwrights, though the density of industry in East Chicago meant asbestos exposure was widespread across nearly every occupation in the area.
Yes. Inland Steel’s Indiana Harbor Works used asbestos insulation throughout its blast furnaces, coke ovens, and finishing mills from the early 1900s through the 1980s. Indiana’s 2-year statute of limitations (Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4) runs from the date of mesothelioma diagnosis.