Asbestos Exposure Among Operating Engineers Local 234 — Des Moines, Iowa

For Members, Retirees, and Surviving Families

Urgent Filing Deadline: Iowa’s Two-Year Statute of Limitations

If you or a family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you have two years from the date of diagnosis to file a lawsuit in Iowa. That clock is running. Missing it means losing your right to compensation permanently. Contact a qualified mesothelioma lawyer in Iowa today.

Your Diagnosis May Trace Back to Work You Did Decades Ago

For decades, members of Operating Engineers Local 234 in Des Moines operated heavy equipment, ran boilers and compressors, and kept industrial and institutional facilities running across central Iowa — much of it in environments saturated with asbestos-containing materials. Many Local 234 members may have been exposed to dangerous asbestos fibers throughout the course of their careers.

That exposure may not have felt dangerous at the time. It often didn’t. But asbestos-related diseases — mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer — take 20 to 50 years to develop after initial exposure. Operating engineers who worked in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s are now receiving diagnoses tied directly to work they did when they were young and healthy.

If you or a family member worked under Local 234 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related respiratory disease, you may have legal claims worth pursuing. An experienced asbestos attorney in Iowa can review your work history, identify the manufacturers whose products you allegedly encountered, and pursue compensation through litigation and asbestos trust funds. This guide covers where Local 234 members worked, what products they allegedly encountered, and how the legal process works.

Who Are Operating Engineers Local 234 Members?

Operating Engineers Local 234 is affiliated with the International Union of Operating Engineers, one of North America’s oldest building trades unions. Local 234’s jurisdiction covers central Iowa, with membership historically concentrated in the Des Moines metropolitan area and surrounding counties.

Local 234 members fall into two occupational categories with distinctly different asbestos exposure profiles.

Construction Operating Engineers

These members operated heavy construction equipment at worksites including:

Cranes and hoisting equipment at commercial, industrial, and infrastructure construction sites
Excavators, bulldozers, and graders during earthwork and site preparation
Concrete pumps and paving equipment on highway and bridge projects
Pile drivers at foundation and bridge sites
Air compressors and pneumatic equipment on demolition and construction projects

Construction operating engineers at demolition sites worked in proximity to friable asbestos insulation, fireproofing materials, and asbestos cement products as older structures were torn down or renovated.

Stationary (Hoisting and Portable) Engineers

Stationary engineers operated and maintained boilers, turbines, compressors, pumps, and other mechanical systems in industrial facilities, power plants, hospitals, large commercial buildings, and institutional settings throughout central Iowa.

Stationary engineers typically sustained the highest and most prolonged asbestos exposure because they:

Worked directly with or adjacent to heavily insulated piping, boilers, and pressure vessels
Performed routine maintenance that required breaking insulation, replacing gaskets, and repacking valves
Worked in enclosed mechanical rooms, boiler rooms, and steam tunnels where asbestos fiber concentrations built up over time
Regularly worked alongside insulators from Asbestos Workers Local 12 and pipefitters from Pipefitters Local 33 whose trade work disturbed asbestos-containing materials directly — creating secondary exposure for engineers in the same spaces

Central Iowa Facilities Where Local 234 Members May Have Been Exposed

Local 234 members reportedly worked at industrial, utility, and institutional facilities throughout central Iowa where asbestos-containing materials were standard construction and insulation components. The facilities below represent locations where Local 234 members are alleged to have worked and where occupational health literature and documented industry practices confirm asbestos-containing materials were routinely used in this period.

Power Generation and Utility Facilities

MidAmerican Energy (formerly Iowa Power and Light, Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric) — Des Moines Area Plants

Stationary engineers who operated or maintained equipment at MidAmerican Energy generating facilities and its predecessor utility operations may have been exposed to:

Asbestos-containing pipe insulation on steam and water lines, including products manufactured by Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, Owens Corning, and Carey Canada
Asbestos boiler lagging and block insulation applied to boiler shells
Turbine insulation and casing materials containing asbestos
High-temperature gaskets and valve packing materials with asbestos content
Asbestos-containing refractory cements and bricks in furnace and firebox areas

Power plants depended on asbestos insulation for high-pressure steam systems throughout most of the twentieth century. Former employees have alleged in litigation that routine maintenance work regularly disturbed deteriorating asbestos insulation at facilities of this type.

Alliant Energy Facilities — Central Iowa

Stationary engineers who operated equipment at Alliant Energy facilities — and at those of its predecessor utilities — may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials in turbine halls and casings, boiler houses, and steam piping systems throughout the plant (per NESHAP abatement records and EIA Form 860 plant data). Asbestos-containing steam pipe insulation was the documented industry standard at power generating facilities of this type from the early twentieth century through the late 1970s.

Industrial and Manufacturing Facilities

Firestone Tire and Rubber — Des Moines

The former Firestone plant in Des Moines was one of central Iowa’s major industrial employers for much of the twentieth century. Operating engineers who worked at this facility may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials in plant steam systems and boiler rooms, including pipe insulation and block lagging reportedly manufactured by Johns-Manville and Armstrong World Industries, as well as asbestos-containing gaskets and seals on manufacturing equipment. Asbestos insulation was standard in the high-temperature processes common to rubber manufacturing facilities of this era.

Iowa Steel — Iowa City

Operating engineers who worked at Iowa Steel in Iowa City may have been exposed to asbestos in pipe insulation and boiler rooms, machinery gaskets, and high-temperature process areas where asbestos-containing materials were reportedly in routine use.

Quaker Oats — Cedar Rapids

At the Quaker Oats facility in Cedar Rapids, members may have been exposed to asbestos in steam and utility systems with pipe insulation allegedly manufactured by Johns-Manville and Owens Corning, equipment maintenance areas where asbestos gaskets and seals were used, and asbestos block insulation in high-temperature processing areas.

Rockwell Collins — Cedar Rapids

Operating engineers at Rockwell Collins may have encountered asbestos-containing materials in insulated piping and mechanical systems in older facility areas, equipment gaskets and seals, and high-temperature environments where asbestos insulation was reportedly used throughout the building.

John Morrell — Sioux City

Members working at the John Morrell meatpacking facility in Sioux City may have been exposed to asbestos-containing pipe insulation in refrigeration and steam systems, mechanical seals and gaskets in packing operations, and insulation in boiler rooms and mechanical spaces.

Healthcare and Institutional Facilities

Iowa Methodist Medical Center / UnityPoint Health — Des Moines

Large hospitals were among the most heavily asbestos-contaminated building types in twentieth-century America — a fact documented in building surveys, abatement records, and asbestos litigation nationwide. Operating engineers who maintained boiler rooms and mechanical systems at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and other major Des Moines area hospitals may have been exposed to:

Asbestos pipe insulation throughout the building, including products allegedly manufactured by Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, and Owens Corning
Boiler room and steam system block insulation containing asbestos
Floor tiles containing asbestos manufactured by Armstrong and Georgia-Pacific under trade names including Gold Bond
Ceiling tiles and spray-applied fireproofing materials containing asbestos
Mechanical chase and tunnel insulation with asbestos content

Broadlawns Medical Center — Des Moines

As a public hospital, Broadlawns may have building inspection and hazardous materials assessment records accessible through public records requests. Operating engineers who worked in the mechanical plant and boiler areas may have been exposed to asbestos-containing pipe insulation allegedly manufactured by Johns-Manville and Armstrong World Industries, boiler insulation and refractory materials, steam system gaskets produced by Garlock Sealing Technologies, and asbestos-containing floor and ceiling materials throughout the facility.

Iowa State Capitol Complex — Des Moines

Stationary engineers and equipment operators who worked at state government facilities, including the Capitol complex, may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials in aging mechanical systems and steam tunnels, insulated piping throughout the building, boiler rooms and utility infrastructure with asbestos block lagging, and drywall joint compound and ceiling materials sold under the Gold Bond and Sheetrock brand names. State facilities of this era reportedly contained extensive asbestos materials throughout their utility infrastructure — a fact documented in abatement records and building surveys across Iowa.

Drake University and Other Major Campus Facilities

Operating engineers who maintained boilers and mechanical systems at major university and institutional campuses in Des Moines may have been exposed to asbestos-containing pipe insulation allegedly manufactured by Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, and Owens Corning, boiler block insulation, mechanical system gaskets and packing from Garlock Sealing Technologies and W.R. Grace, and asbestos cement board sold under the Transite brand name. Asbestos materials were standard in campus utility plants built before the 1980s.

Construction and Demolition Sites — Des Moines Metropolitan Area

Construction operating engineers who worked demolition projects throughout Des Moines and central Iowa from the 1960s through the 1990s may have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers released during demolition or renovation of older structures containing:

Spray-applied fireproofing on structural steel, including products marketed under the Monokote name and similar asbestos-containing formulations
Floor and ceiling tiles manufactured by Armstrong, Georgia-Pacific, and Celotex
Asbestos cement board and siding materials sold under the Transite brand
Pipe insulation and duct wrap manufactured by Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, and Owens Corning
Roofing materials and shingles manufactured by Celotex and Pabco
Joint compound and texture coatings containing asbestos

Crane operators and excavator operators working demolition sites were routinely in proximity to these materials even when not performing the demolition work themselves. Air monitoring data from demolition projects of this era, reviewed in OSHA enforcement actions, documented fiber levels at crane operator cab positions that reportedly exceeded permissible exposure limits.

Asbestos Products Local 234 Members May Have Encountered

Based on occupational health literature, product identification testimony in asbestos litigation nationwide, and historical accounts from former Operating Engineers in Iowa and nationally, Local 234 members may have regularly encountered the following product categories.

Thermal Insulation Products

Pipe covering and block insulation — Products allegedly manufactured by Armstrong World Industries, Owens Corning, Johns-Manville, Carey Canada, and Unarco for steam and hot water lines throughout industrial and institutional facilities; trade names include Kaylo, Thermobestos, and Aircell
Boiler and turbine lagging — Asbestos-containing block and blanket insulation applied directly to boiler shells and steam turbine casings, allegedly manufactured by Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, and Owens Corning
Preformed pipe insulation — Sectional pipe insulation containing chrysotile and/or amosite asbestos, used on virtually every steam, condensate, and hot water line in industrial-era construction

Gaskets, Packing, and Sealing Materials

Sheet gaskets — Asbestos-containing compressed sheet gaskets cut to fit flanged pipe connections, manufactured by Garlock Sealing Technologies, John Crane, and Flexitallic; stationary engineers routinely cut these to size, releasing fiber
Valve and pump packing — Braided asbestos rope packing used to seal valve stems and pump shafts, requiring periodic replacement by operating and stationary engineers
Specialty gaskets — High-pressure and high-temperature gaskets for turbines, comp