What You Should Know »

Asbestos Exposure in Military Service

Did you get lung cancer because you inhaled asbestos fibers while serving in the military? Veterans from all branches of service have developed lung cancer after exposure to asbestos.

Navy

Personnel most commonly exposed include:

• Boilermen
• Enginemen
• Firemen
• Machinist Mates
• Shipfitters
• Pipefitters
• Electrician’s Mates
• Seabees (military construction)
• Civilian shipyard workers
• Boiler Tender
• Gunner/Seaman
• Seabee (military construction)
• Housewife (exposed by asbestos dust on husband's laundry)
• Fireman (in engine room)
• Boilerman
• Engine Mechanic
• Shipfitter (First Class Petty Officer, E6)

Naval shipyards

During the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, large quantities of asbestos were employed in shipyards in construction of new ships and in refurbishment and decommissioning of ships. Thousands of shipyard workers breathed the fine asbestos fibers. Because it could withstand high temperatures and corrosion, asbestos was an ideal material for insulating the vessels' heat-producing components in warships.

U. S. Government (Naval) Shipyards where ships were built and/or overhauled include:

• Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown, MA
• Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, SC
• Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, CA
• Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, CA
• Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA
• New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, NY
• Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
  
• Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA
• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA

Private Sector Shipyards where Navy ships, Liberty ships and Victory ships were also built include:

• Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company, Mobile, AL
• American Bridge Company, Pittsburgh, PA
• Associated Shipbuilders, Inc., Seattle, WA
• Bath Iron Works Corporation, Bath, ME
• Bethlehem Steel Company, Hingham, MA
• Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, MA
• Bethlehem Steel Company, San Francisco, CA
• Bethlehem Steel Company, San Pedro, CA
• Bethlehem Steel Company, Staten Island, NY
• Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, Inc., Baltimore, MD
• Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston, TX
• California Shipbuilding Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
• Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Seneca, IL
• Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, TX
• Cramp Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, PA
• Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, MI
• Delta Shipbuilding Company, New Orleans, LA
• Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA
• Dravo Corporation, Wilmington, DE
• Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT
• Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Kearny, NJ
• Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Port Newark, NJ
• Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation, Chickasaw, AL
• J. A. Jones Construction Company, Brunswick, GA
• J. A. Jones Construction Company, Panama City, FL
• Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Company, Jeffersonville, IN
• Kaiser Company, Richmond, CA
• Kaiser Company, Vancouver, WA
• Lake Washington Shipyards, Houghton, WA
• Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corporation, Manitowoc, WI
• Marinship Corporation, Sausalito, CA
• Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company, Evansville, IN
• Moore Dry Dock Company, Oakland, CA
• New England Shipbuilding Company, South Portland, ME
• New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, NJ
• Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, VA
• North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, NC
• Oregon Shipbuilding Company, Portland, OR
• Permanente Metals Corporation, #1 Yard, Richmond, CA
• Permanente Metals Corporation, #2 Yard, Richmond, CA
• Southeastern Shipbuilding Corporation, Savannah, GA
• St. John’s River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, FL
• Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Chester, PA
• Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Inc., Tampa, FL
• Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corporation, Houston, TX
• Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Seattle, WA
• Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Tacoma, WA
• Todd Shipyards, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
• Western Pipe & Steel Company of California, San Pedro, CA
• Willamette Iron & Steel Corporation, Portland, OR
• Walsh-Kaiser Company, Inc., Providence, RI
  

Were you exposed to asbestos while in the military? Or while working as a civilian contractor on military projects such as ship-building?

Asbestos was a common material used in many Navy ships. Many ship builders and sailors were exposed to asbestos during the construction, maintenance and operation of these military vessels. Asbestos was used as insulation and boiler operations, for example.