Asbestos Exposure and Shipbuilders | Risks and Prevention

Asbestos and its Utility 

In ancient times, the Greeks encountered a highly durable substance that had an incredible resistance to heat and fire, and  called it asbestos, meaning “indestructible.” In many ways, asbestos is truly indestructible.

Asbestos is available as a mineral from the earth and typically it is mined in several countries all over the world. It is available in six types –chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite.

The main properties of asbestos include heat resistance,fiber strength, friction resistance, abrasion resistance, flexibility, fire resistance, insulation, shape retention, and high tensile strength.

Chrysotile is the most common type of asbestos, but all six types can be found on ships.

The most common type of asbestos is chrysotile, also known as white asbestos. It was an ideal substance to be used in combination with other materials to make more than 3,000 products that are used by a wide variety of industries, including the shipbuilding industry. A product with asbestos in it is known as an asbestos-containing material (ACM).

ACMs were used in roofs, walls, ceilings, floors, piping, and bathrooms of buildings. They were also used in a variety of industrial products ranging from automobile brake linings, gaskets and boiler seals, and insulation for pipes, ducts and appliances. 

It was used in shipbuilding activities extensively.

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If you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, even as a child, speak to a healthcare provider about tests and screening to help diagnose lung-scarring and screen for asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos in Shipbuilding

The excellent properties of asbestos recounted above were made use of by using scores of ACMs aboard ships. The shipbuilding industry and the Navy were extensive users of asbestos because of the mineral’s excellent properties of resisting and preventing fires and resisting seawater corrosion.

Where was asbestos used on ships?

The short answer is: all over.

The typical areas that used ACMs aboard ships include:

• Bulkhead and deck 

• Wall and ceiling panels

• Floating floors, floor tiles, seals and sealing putty, and gaskets

• Insulation around valves in pipes

• Textile fabric in HVAC ducts

• Boiler, steam pipe, and exhaust duct insulation

• Rotary vane vacuum pumps

• Electrical cable material and fuses

From the above, it is clear that ACMs populated large sections of ships, including accommodation areas and the engine room.

Any workers who were building, maintaining, repairing, or serving on asbestos-containing ships may be at risk of asbestos-related diseases.

Shipbuilding workers, shipyard workers, naval yard workers, crewmembers on ships, inspectors, and naval staff working in the US Navy were all linked closely with ships and therefore to asbestos.

Asbestos Exposure Risks to People Working in the Shipbuilding Industry

During the 1900s, asbestos was known as the magic mineral, as more than 3,000 products with ACMs in them began to be manufactured and used in all kinds of industries, including shipbuilding. 

However, various research studies conducted over the years began to point out the hazardous effects of asbestos on human health, especially those working in asbestos mines, construction, and industries that manufactured and used ACMs. 

This prompted 69 countries to ban asbestos in their country. Other countries like the U.S. resorted to asbestos regulation through various federal and state laws. 

While banning or regulating asbestos use is welcome, its extensive use in ACM products in the 19th and 20th century poses a grave risk to people exposed to asbestos and continues to do so because ACMs still are present in buildings, ships, shipyards, and equipmentbuilt or made prior to 1982 and still in use today.

High Risk of Asbestos Exposure for Ship-related Occupations 

The late 19th and most of the 20th century was dominated by asbestos usage extensively across a host of industries. Leading the pack was the ship-related industries, including the operations and repair of the ships.

One of the biggest workforces related to ships and shipbuilding was the naval workforce. There was a time during World War II when close to 4.5 million men and women were employed in shipbuilding and allied activities, which used ACMs extensively. Therefore, there was potential risk of asbestos exposure for these many workers.

After the war, the workforce dwindled to 1.7m in 1943 and 200,000 in 1976. Thus, the shipping industry related occupations were at a very high risk of asbestos exposure.

Nature of Asbestos Causing Exposure Risk

The features of asbestos being microscopic and friable are the prime cause of danger to anyone working with asbestos from close quarters. 

ACMs are of two types – friable and non-friable. 

Friable ACMs are those that have asbestos fibers loosely bound and can be easily crumbled by normal hand pressure when they are dry.

Non-friable ACMs are those that have asbestos fibers more tightly bound in a compact manner, posing lesser risk than friable ACMs unless they are disturbed by external stimuli. These can happen because of natural wear and tear and they can turn friable. Non-friable ACMs can also release microscopic fibers and dust when they are disturbed by external pressure like beating, drilling, grinding, cutting, and sanding. 

When asbestos fibers are released into the air as microscopic fibers and dust, they float in the air and people in the vicinity of these fibers can inhale or swallow them, from which deleterious health consequences arise for them.

Significant Health Risks of Asbestos Exposure

As mentioned earlier, various research studies linked asbestos to health conditions. The microscopic fibers and dust when inhaled or swallowed by people exposed to asbestos, often without their knowledge, settle down in the air sacs of the lungs or the lining of the stomach. Because asbestos is almost indestructible, it continues to stay in the body and pose problems for the person. 

Asbestos related diseases: understanding the risks

These problems manifest as scarring of tissues giving rise to a variety of asbestos-related diseases (ARD). These include the non-cancerous asbestosis and the highly deadly and the cancerous mesothelioma besides other cancers and other non-cancerous diseases.

Latency and Dose-response Phenomena of Asbestos Exposure

The fact that asbestos fibers reside in the body is one dimension of the problems faced by people with exposure to asbestos. The other dimension of the problems deals with the amount of exposure and the time elapsed since the first exposure. 

The people working on all jobs related to shipbuilding and as crew members on ships, including naval staff are subject to what is known as dose-response. The higher the dose the higher is the exposure. Thus, people working throughout their lives on these activities are subject to high dose-response phenomenon, increasing their risk of ARDs manifold as compared to people with other jobs.

Latency: After first exposure, asbestos-related diseases can take 20-50 years to appear.

The latency phenomenon refers to the long time it takes for an ARD to be diagnosed. 

This is because it takes a long time for the scarring of tissues to happen in the lungs or anywhere else in the body as a result of asbestos fibers or dust in the body. Thus, the period between the first exposure to asbestos and the diagnosis is known as the latency period. This could be as high as 50 years in some cases. 

Thus, if crew members on a ship or shipyard workers or naval staff have worked on shipsor engaged in any activity related to ships built prior to 1982, they are at high risk of acquiring ARDs during their lifetime. In fact, many veterans in the U.S. are subject to both latency and dose-response phenomena.

People who worked in these industries prior the mid-1980s have a higher risk of developing asbestos-related diseases:

Construction	Factories	Foundries	Refineries	Shipyards	Mining / Milling
Demolition	Insulation	Steelworkers	Pipe Fitting	Shipbuilding	Mechanics
Roofing	Textiles	Iron workers	Boilers	Firefighting	Brake Repair
Flooring	Cement	Electricians	Gasket Repair	Railroad	HVAC

Unfortunately so do their families.

Second-hand Asbestos Exposure

While workers in ship-related jobs are subject to primary asbestos exposure, they pose a danger to their family members through what is known as secondary asbestos exposure. This is because these workers carry the asbestos fibers and dust on their persons, clothing, footwear, documents, and tools and bring it into the home. They could even bring it into family vehicles. This is somewhat similar to the hazards of secondhand smoke. Thus, family members are also subject to the dose-response and latency phenomena although to a much lesser degree than the person who was subject to primary asbestos exposure.

“Generally, those who develop asbestos-related diseases show no signs of illness for a long time after exposure.” Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH)3

Protective and Preventive Measures for Asbestos Exposure in the Shipbuilding Industry

After the research studies brought out the sad fact of asbestos as the cause of ARDs, the authorities started regulating the use and disposal of asbestos to protect people working in the shipbuilding industry. 

The measures included replacing the components that had ACMs in them. It was a laborious and expensive process. However, the task is still incomplete and continues to pose a risk of asbestos exposure to people. 

Abatement and Disposal: Replacing asbestos-containing materials on ships

Another measure was the use of alternative material that could provide the same properties as asbestos without the bad effects of asbestos. This too is a work in process. 

One more measure was the setting up of asbestos trusts by recalcitrant companies that used asbestos, without letting the workers know of the bad effects of the mineral. 

The Asbestos Industry: Johns Manville and Asbestos on Ships

A case in point is the one of Johns Manville, a company that manufactured asbestos during the 20th century. At one time during the war, it diverted all its asbestos manufacturing capacity in the service of the US Navy for its shipbuilding activities to support the war efforts. 

Once the research pointed out the link between asbestos exposure and asbestosis and mesothelioma, it faced several lawsuits and settled them based on court directives or out of court settlements. 

These were seminal lawsuits and the courts’ verdicts against Johns Manville helped establish precedents for victims of asbestos exposure. This also resulted in the formation of the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, which helps victims get compensation.

Over $30 Billion is still available (without a lawsuit). Stake your claim.

Legal Options for Shipbuilding Workers

People suffering from ARDs from asbestos exposure have legal options to claim compensation from companies that manufactured the ACMs. 

Asbestos Claims: Multiple options for compensation

People with asbestos-related diseases may be able to pursue their claims with the following steps:

• File a personal injury asbestos claims lawsuit

• Claim from an asbestos trust for themselves and their families

• Claims can be made for wrongful death 

• Claims can be made for fatality, medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future work, disability, and poor quality of future life

Getting an asbestos claims lawyer involved

Since the asbestos claims process can be quite tricky, it is better to use the services of an established and expert asbestos lawyer like www.asbestosclaims.law, a division of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC. This company has a policy of claiming its fees only after the victim receives the compensation.This firm has the expertise to handle such claims from any state.

According to statistics, the average mesothelioma settlement amount is between $1 million and $1.4 million, while the average mesothelioma trial verdict award is around $2.4 million.

According to the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, the median scheduled value for asbestos trust claims in 2010 was $126,000 and scheduled value ranged from $7,000 to $1.2 million.

Do You Qualify For Compensation?

Quickly and easily find out how you were exposed by searching W.A.R.D., the largest asbestos database on the planet.

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Asbestos Exposure and Shipbuilders: Risks and Prevention

The shipbuilding industry in the 19th and 20th century was a thriving one made possible by the wonder mineral asbestos. The mineral was easy to mine and convert into usable form to make more than 3,000 products that were used by all kinds of industries as ACMs. 

However, research discovered the effect of asbestos fibers on human health, which caused ARDs that included the cancerous mesothelioma and asbestosis, a non-cancerous ARD.

As mentioned earlier, a large workforce from the shipping industry was exposed to asbestos and this workforce was at the most risk of asbestos exposure.

Spouses, children and other household members may have been exposed to asbestos by a shipbuilder in the family.

Consequently, the families of these people suffered from secondary asbestos exposure, while the family members working in the shipbuilding industry suffered from primary asbestos exposure. It is unfortunate that the younger generation of these family members would be subject to both dose-response and latency phenomena to run the risk of acquiring ARD. 

US Naval Ships Contained a lot of Asbestos Containing Materials

Since the US Navy had employed a huge 4.5m people at the height of World War II, a large number of veterans were affected. The US Navy has taken steps to mitigate the hardships faced by its staff members from the scourge of asbestos exposure. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has devised a policy to review the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities, and selectively replacing asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas where repairs would be expected during a ship’s next operating cycle.

The families of people affected by asbestos exposure can claim compensation from the companies that were involved in supplying the ACMs used in the shipbuilding industry either through lawsuits or apply for a trust claim.

AsbestosClaims.Law

At AsbestosClaims.Law, our mission to secure compensation for asbestos victims is more than professional; it’s personal.

Our founder, Justinian C. Lane, understands the devastating impacts of asbestos firsthand.

Both his grandparents and father, all asbestos workers, passed away from asbestos-induced cancers without realizing their eligibility for asbestos lawsuits or other forms of compensation.

We aim to prevent such tragic oversights by informing and guiding victims and their families through their legal options. 

If you or your loved ones have suffered as a result of asbestos exposure, you could be eligible for considerable compensation. These funds could provide for medical treatments, asbestos removal services, and safeguard your health. 

In addition, asbestos trusts offer compensation without the need for a lawsuit, providing a quicker, simpler path to justice.

Reach out to us at [email protected] or (206) 455-9190 for assistance with your claim. We offer compassionate listening, clear explanations, and we don’t charge a dime unless we win your case.

Beyond legal claims, we also advise on veterans’ disability, social security, and employment protection like workers’ compensation, FELA, and The Jones Act for maritime workers. 

There’s no risk or cost to connect with our experienced team about your rights. Our commitment to your well-being means no fees unless you receive compensation.

For further queries or concerns about asbestos, explore our website and YouTube page, featuring infographics, videos, and answers to common questions on asbestos-related topics.

We’ve also introduced W.A.R.D., the Worldwide Asbestos Research Database. It’s the most comprehensive resource for asbestos-related information.

W.A.R.D. assists in pinpointing potential exposure scenarios, asbestos-containing products, and can indicate the types and potential amounts of compensation you may be entitled to receive.

Don’t delay — get in touch with us today!

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Latency
https://www.asbestos.com/companies/johns-manville/
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https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/40/11/3875/484268/Mesothelioma-Associated-with-the-Shipbuilding
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https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Claudio-Bianchi-4/publication/13982866_Latency_periods_in_asbestos-related_mesothelioma_of_the_pleura/links/5417f30a0cf2218008befff4/Latency-periods-in-asbestos-related-mesothelioma-of-the-pleura.pdf

1 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.
2 Asbestosis is prevalent in a variety of construction industry trades, Walters, G.I., Robertson, A.S., Bhomra, P.S. and Burge, P.S., 2018. NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, 28(1), p.11.
3 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.