Shipyard Workers and Asbestos Exposure Risks
Asbestos was standard on nearly every ship built or repaired from the 1930s through the early 1980s. Shipyard workers faced some of the heaviest asbestos exposure of any U.S. occupation. Families are still receiving mesothelioma diagnoses today.
Inside the Shipyard: Occupations Most at Risk
Shipyard work covered multiple trades and asbestos exposure wasn’t limited to any one of them. Whether you handled asbestos directly or simply worked nearby, you may have inhaled the same airborne fibers.
Common Shipyard Trades
- Boilermakers
- Electricians
- Insulators
- Machinists
- Painters
- Pipefitters
- Riggers
- Sheet-metal workers
- Welders
Some of the highest-risk yards included U.S. Naval shipyards like Norfolk, Portsmouth, Pearl Harbor, Long Beach, Mare Island, Hunters Point, Boston and Philadelphia, as well as private yards under Navy contract like Bethlehem Steel, Newport News, Todd, Sun and Fore River.
Insulation work spread toxic fibers throughout poorly ventilated engine rooms, boiler rooms, fire rooms and berthing compartments below deck. Workers who spent years in these spaces, or even just a few months during wartime construction surges, faced serious exposure.
Asbestos Throughout the Ship: From Engine Room to Berthing
Ships built or repaired in U.S. yards contained asbestos in nearly every compartment. Manufacturers used it in insulation, flooring, electrical systems and fireproofing materials throughout the vessel. Many of these products contained 50% or more asbestos content.
Shipboard Asbestos Materials
- Berthing, galleys and mess decks: Floor tile, ceiling tile, deck mastic and fireproofing materials
- Electrical and machinery spaces: Wire and cable insulation, switchboard panels and motor windings
- Engine and boiler rooms: Pipe lagging, block insulation, gaskets, valve packing and refractory cement
- Fire rooms and turbine spaces: Fireproof bulkhead panels, spray-applied insulation, asbestos rope and tape
- Throughout the hull: Bulkhead insulation, joiner panels, plumbing gaskets, asbestos cloth and millboard
Several manufacturers supplied these products to U.S. shipyards, including Owens Corning, Johns Manville, Babcock & Wilcox, Foster Wheeler, Combustion Engineering, GAF, Bendix, Garlock and John Crane. Many of these companies later set up asbestos trust funds to pay claims from workers they put at risk.
Shipyard Workers and Mesothelioma
Shipyard workers, especially those in Naval and Navy-contracted yards, rank among the highest-risk occupational groups for mesothelioma in the United States. Research published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine confirms that shipyard workers face significantly elevated rates of mesothelioma and respiratory cancer tied directly to asbestos exposure. Many people receiving a diagnosis today were exposed during the 1960s through the 1980s, either in private yards or aboard ships.
Shipyard Asbestos Diseases
- Asbestosis: Chronic scarring of lung tissue from inhaled asbestos fibers
- Laryngeal, ovarian and gastrointestinal cancers: Research has linked these cancers to asbestos exposure.
- Lung cancer: Asbestos exposure significantly raises the risk, particularly for those who smoked.
- Mesothelioma: An aggressive cancer affecting the lining of the lung, abdomen or heart; the signature disease of asbestos exposure.
- Pleural plaques and pleural thickening: Markers of past exposure that can cause shortness of breath.
Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases can take 20 to 60 years to develop after first exposure. If you or someone you love has received a diagnosis, you don’t have to figure out the next steps alone. Our attorneys can help you navigate your legal options.
Shipyard Workers and Secondhand Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos exposure didn’t always stay at the shipyard. Workers who spent their days in engine rooms and berthing compartments often came home with hazardous asbestos fibers on their clothes, boots, hair and skin. Family members who had no connection to the shipyard could inhale those fibers at home.
Workers often drove home in the same coveralls they wore below decks, spreading fibers into the family car and living space. Spouses who handled the laundry and children who greeted a parent at the door faced the highest risk. Many wartime workers also lived close to the yard, which meant exposure wasn’t always limited to the home itself. The same diseases at risk for shipyard workers, including mesothelioma, are possible from secondhand exposure.
Family members of shipyard workers may have separate, valid claims even if the worker is no longer living. Our attorneys represent both workers and family members on independent claims. If someone in your family worked in a shipyard and you’ve received a mesothelioma diagnosis, we want to hear from you.
Compensation for Workers and Families
Veterans of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard who served on or worked at affected ships and yards may file for claims outside of lawsuits depending on their circumstance. Veterans who experience asbestos exposure during active duty may qualify for VA benefits. You don’t need to have all your records in hand before reaching out.
Types of Compensation
- Asbestos trust funds: Manufacturers that went bankrupt set aside funds to pay claims. Shipyard workers often qualify for many trust funds because of the wide range of products on a single ship. Many trust fund claims resolve in thirty to ninety days.
- Personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits: Our attorneys file claims against solvent manufacturers still in business. These lawsuits can result in significant verdicts and settlements.
- Workers’ compensation: Civilian shipyard employees may have occupational disease claims tied to past employment.
For shipyard workers in particular, VA benefits may be an option. Veterans whose asbestos exposure occurred during military service can pursue service-connected disability compensation, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for surviving spouses and gain access to VA medical care. We pursue VA claims with civilian claims, not instead of them.
There’s no upfront cost to work with us and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. In some cases, your case may apply to multiple claims. Our attorneys pursue all viable claims simultaneously to conserve time and secure financial relief.
How Nemeroff Law Helps Shipyard Workers
Shipyard workers have handled or worked with dozens of asbestos products across their careers. That means you may qualify for claims against multiple manufacturers, and we identify every one. Our investigators reconstruct your shipyard history across yards, hulls and trades, even when the yard has closed and personnel records are sparse.
For veterans, we pursue VA and civilian claims in tandem so a VA pathway never delays trust fund or lawsuit recovery. We also represent family members exposed to take-home asbestos on independent claims. Nemeroff Law has recovered more than $650 million for people facing mesothelioma and their loved ones. If you or someone in your family has a diagnosis, reach out today for a no-pressure free case review.
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Frequently Asked Questions
These questions cover some of the most common concerns we hear from workers, veterans and their families. If you don’t see your question here, our attorneys are happy to talk it through with you at no cost.
You may still have a valid claim. Bystander exposure is a recognized basis for a shipyard asbestos lawsuit. Workers in roles like welding, electrical work and painting who shared engine rooms, fire rooms and berthing compartments with insulation workers inhaled the same airborne fibers. Our investigators document where on the ship you worked, who you worked with and what materials they used, even if you never touched the insulation yourself.
Yes, and the type of yard doesn’t change your eligibility. Asbestos products on Navy ships, Navy-contracted private yards and commercial merchant yards came from the same private manufacturers. Most of those manufacturers set up trust funds that pay claims regardless of where the ship was built. Civilian workers, Navy veterans and merchant mariners can all pursue claims against those manufacturers.
Yes. VA service-connected disability compensation and trust fund claims aren’t mutually exclusive. Trust fund claims target the private manufacturers that supplied asbestos products to the Navy, so they don’t conflict with VA benefits. Our attorneys file VA and civilian claims simultaneously so veterans don’t lose value waiting on one before starting another.
Yes. Many shipyards that closed decades ago, including Hunters Point, Mare Island, Philadelphia Naval, Boston Naval and Bethlehem Steel yards, still produce active asbestos claims today. The asbestos products on those ships came from private manufacturers, many of whom set up trust funds that pay claims regardless of the yard’s current status. Our investigators work from union records, Social Security earnings, ship muster rolls and coworker testimony when the yard’s own records are gone.
Yes. There’s no minimum exposure duration for an asbestos claim. Shipyard exposure was so heavy that even a few months of confined-space work has produced documented mesothelioma cases decades later. Latency runs 20 to 60 years from first exposure, so brief or long-ago shipyard work can still connect to a diagnosis today.
D. Carl Money
D. Carl Money is a mesothelioma trial attorney and retired Army Lt. Col. licensed in TX, NY and the UK.