Rocky Flats Plant — Jefferson County, Colorado

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that workers at the Rocky Flats Plant in Jefferson County, Colorado — a U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons manufacturing facility — sustained occupational asbestos exposure during plant operations from 1952 through the facility’s closure following a 1989 FBI raid and subsequent environmental remediation.

Facility Background

The Rocky Flats Plant, located approximately 16 miles northwest of Denver in Jefferson County, operated from 1952 to 1992 as a manufacturing facility for nuclear weapons triggers (plutonium pits) and other weapons components. The plant was operated under DOE contract by Dow Chemical Company from 1952 to 1975 and by Rockwell International from 1975 to 1989.

Plaintiffs alleged that the plant’s industrial buildings, boiler plants, and process facilities were constructed and maintained using asbestos-containing materials consistent with construction practices of the 1950s through 1970s, and that maintenance, construction, and operations workers encountered asbestos during their employment.

Alleged Asbestos Pathways

Plaintiffs alleged in litigation that asbestos exposure occurred through multiple pathways:

  • Building insulation and fireproofing: Plaintiffs alleged that the industrial buildings constructed at Rocky Flats used asbestos-containing fireproofing on structural steel and asbestos insulation in mechanical systems.
  • Steam and utility systems: Plaintiffs alleged that the plant’s steam distribution systems, boiler plant, and process heating systems used asbestos pipe covering and boiler insulation throughout.
  • Maintenance and construction work: Plaintiffs alleged that maintenance mechanics, pipefitters, electricians, and construction workers performing building maintenance and renovation encountered asbestos-containing materials throughout plant operations.
  • Gaskets and seals: Plaintiffs alleged that process equipment and piping systems at the plant used asbestos-containing gaskets and packing materials.

Colorado has a two-year statute of limitations under C.R.S. § 13-80-102, running from the date of mesothelioma diagnosis under the discovery rule. Wrongful death claims also carry a two-year limit.

Workers who were employed at Rocky Flats Plant and who have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos-related disease may have legal remedies available. Contact O’Brien Law Firm at (314) 237-3332 to discuss your work history and legal options at no cost.