Exposure at Shipyards

Working in a shipyard holds many dangers, even today, when equipment is state-of-the-art and building techniques are improved. Decades ago, however, the risks faced by someone working in a shipyard were very high and included not only the potential for life-changing or fatal accidents but also the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease due to exposure to this toxic mineral, which was used extensively in both military and private shipyards from the 1940s until the end of the 1970s.

Those who were directly involved in building ships, especially military vessels that were constructed during the busy war years, carry the highest chance for developing asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Indeed, Navy veterans who worked on ships or in shipyards have the highest rate of mesothelioma diagnoses in the U.S., accounting for about 80 percent of all cases diagnosed among veterans of the armed forces. In addition, veterans or civilians who worked for 20 years or more in a shipyard during the time when asbestos use was at its peak have an 86 percent chance of developing the disease, according to a study conducted by Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

It’s easy to understand why working at a shipyard was so hazardous to the health of employees. Asbestos was seen as the ideal product for a number of applications in the shipbuilding industry. Considered a “miracle mineral”, it is highly heat- and fire-resistant and serves as an excellent insulator. During the war years, asbestos was available in large quantities at a reasonable price, making it the ideal product for use in the nation’s military vessels.

Those who toiled aboard these ships came into contact with asbestos on an almost- daily basis. Tradesmen including pipefitters, insulators, plumbers, electricians, boilermakers, and carpenters regularly handled the material, generally without benefit of protective masks or respirators. Even those who did not have direct contact with the asbestos were susceptible to breathing in asbestos dust that gathered in various places throughout the ships and shipyard, especially where ventilation was less than sufficient. There are even reports of shipyard office workers developing mesothelioma due to secondary exposure after inhaling asbestos particles from the clothes of shipbuilders they encountered daily.

Simply put, veterans and others who toiled in the shipyards of American put their lives on the line each day without knowing the risks. For many, decades later those risks would become a reality. Today, older Navy veterans continue to suffer with asbestos-related diseases and many live in constant fear of developing a serious illness like mesothelioma.

Alabama

  • Alabama Drydock & Shipping Co. (ADDSCO)
  • Bender Shipbuilding

Alaska

  • Seward Marine Industrial Center
  • Seward Ships Drydock

California

  • Bethlehem Steel Shipyards, San Francisco
  • Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Terminal Island
  • Consolidated Steel Shipyards
  • Hunters Point Naval Shipyard
  • Kaiser Shipyard, Richmond
  • Long Beach Naval Shipyard
  • Mare Island Naval Shipyard
  • Moore Dry Dock Company
  • NASSCO
  • National Shipyards
  • Naval Weapons Station
  • Richmond Shipyards (Kaiser)
  • Rough & Ready Island Ship Repair
  • San Diego Naval Shipyard
  • San Francisco Drydock
  • Southwest Marine Shipyard, Long Beach
  • Southwest Marine Shipyard, San Diego
  • Terminal Island Naval Yard
  • Todds Shipyard, Los Angeles
  • Todds Shipyard, San Francisco
  • TODD-Alameda Naval Shipyard
  • TODD Shipyard, Oakland
  • TODD Shipyard, San Pedro
  • Treasure Island Naval Station
  • U.S. Naval Shipyard – San Francisco Bay
  • U.S. Naval Operating Base, Terminal Island
  • Vallejo Shipyard
  • Western Shipyard

Connecticut

  • Electric Boat
  • Naval Submarine Base
  • District of Columbia
  • Washington Navy Yard

Florida

  • Atlantic Dry Dock
  • Gulf Marine Repair
  • Hendry Corporation
  • Mayport Naval Station
  • Offshore Shipbuilding Inc.
  • Pensacola Naval Air Station
  • Tampa Bay Shipbuilding

Hawaii

  • Pearl Harbor Shipyard

Louisiana

  • Avondale Industries
  • Bollinger Shipyards
  • Conrad Industries

Maine

  • Bath Iron Works
  • Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Maryland

  • Baltimore Marine Industries
  • Bethlehem Shipbuilding
  • Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard
  • Key Highway Shipyard

Massachusetts

  • Boston Navy Yard
  • Charlestown Navy Yard
  • Fore River Shipyard
  • General Ship Corp.

Michigan

  • Defoe Shipbuilding Co.

Mississippi

  • Ingalls Shipbuilding
  • Naval Station Pascagoula
  • Trinity Marine Group

New Hampshire

  • Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

New Jersey

  • New York Shipbuilding
  • Todds Shipyard

New York

  • Brooklyn Navy Shipyard
  • Caddell Drydock and Repair
  • GMD Shipyard
  • New York Shipbuilding Corp
  • Todds Shipyard, Brooklyn

Ohio

  • American Shipbuilding

Oregon

  • Albina Shipyard
  • Astoria Voyage Repair Station
  • Cascade General
  • Dyer Shipyard
  • Kaiser Shipyard
  • Northwest Marine Ironworks
  • Oregon Shipyard (Kaiser)
  • Portland Ship Repair Yard
  • South Portland Shipyard
  • Swan Island Shipyard
  • Tongue Point Naval Shipyard
  • Willamette Iron & Steel Yard

Pennsylvania

  • Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
  • Penn Shipbuilding
  • Sun Shipbuilding

Rhode Island

  • Newport Naval Yard

South Carolina

  • Braswell Services Group
  • Carolina Shipping Company
  • Charleston Naval Shipyard
  • Detyen’s Shipyard

Texas

  • American Bridge Shipyard (Orange)
  • AMFELS, Brownsville
  • Barbas Cut Docks
  • Bloodworth Bond Shipyard
  • Boats of Freeport
  • Brown Shipyard
  • Consolidated Steel Shipyards
  • Galveston Docks
  • Houston Shipyards
  • Ingalls Shipbuilding
  • Kane Shipbuilding
  • Naval Station Ingleside
  • Orange Shipbuilding Company
  • Pennsylvania Shipyard (Beaumont)
  • Port Adams Shipyard
  • TODD Shipyard (Houston)
  • USX Shipyard

Virginia

  • Colonna’s Shipyard
  • Lyon Shipyard
  • Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
  • Newport News Shipbuilding
  • Norfolk Naval Shipyard
  • NORSHIPCO
  • Phillyship

Washington

  • Bremerton Naval Shipyard
  • Duwamish Shipyard
  • Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard
  • Lake Union Drydock
  • Lockheed Shipyard
  • Masco Shipyard
  • Naval Station Everett
  • Puget Sound Bridge Yards
  • Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
  • Tacoma Boat & Drydock
  • Strategic Weapons Facility
  • Todds Shipyard, Seattle
  • Todd Shipyard, Tacoma
  • Vancouver Shipyard (Kaiser)
  • Voyage Repair Station Port Angeles