Newport Naval Yard - Mesothelioma & Asbestos Exposure
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Share ArticleThe Newport Naval Yard of Newport, Rhode Island was used for naval shipbuilding. It was created in 1861 as a replacement shipyard that moved from Annapolis, Maryland because of the civil war to protect naval ships from Confederate forces within the south. The site was then moved back to Annapolis, Maryland after the civil war in 1865. The Naval Operating Base was created in the same location in 1941 through 1946 and lasted until the after the end of the Vietnam War. Today the Naval War Academy and the Naval Underwater System Center still remain at the site within the Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) in Newport and Middleton, Rhode Island. The Navy also currently uses the area to hold and maintain naval ships not actively used within the military.
This is just one of many naval shipbuilding areas in which asbestos was used in large quantities. Many thousands of Navy veterans have been exposed to asbestos due to naval shipbuilding and being aboard ships in which asbestos was used. Newport, Rhode Island is an area in which high amounts of asbestos were used in many industries. If you have ever worked in shipbuilding or other industrial jobs in Newport, Rhode Island, you may be at risk for developing mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly form of asbestos cancer caused from exposure to the mineral.
Asbestos use within the military aboard naval ships peaked during World War I and II and the post Cold War Era. There are now thousands of naval personnel that have already died and many continue to be diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases. Those stationed on ships in which asbestos was used are just as likely to come down with the disease as those that worked with contaminated materials for building as it is easily inhaled in dust particles that float freely through the air. Almost as many deaths have been caused by military exposure to asbestos as deaths related to direct fighting within the World Wars.
Sources show that the United Stated military knew about possible dangers of asbestos to military personnel as early as 1922. In fact, in the early 1940's they listed working with and being exposed to asbestos as a hazardous working condition but continued to use it in large amounts for quite some time. Even after they began looking for alternatives to asbestos, they were very slow in taking measures to cleanup affected areas and were more concerned in saving costs than replacing the parts of the ships that still contained asbestos.
Exposure from asbestos at this site, just as in many others, came from its use as wall insulation, pipe covering, pumps, gaskets, cement mix, turbines, and boilers. Often it was used in ship piping that ran through the sleeping quarters within the naval ships, so many navy personnel were breathing in large amounts of asbestos in their sleep. The population in Newport peaked at the Naval Operating Base in 1944 with 146,000 working naval personnel, all of which are at risk for Mesothelioma and other cancers and diseases related to the inhalation of asbestos. If you or anyone you know has worked at the Naval Base in Newport, Rhode Island, it is strongly suggested you seek prompt medical advice as you are at risk for asbestos related diseases.
- Early, James F., LLC. Mesothelioma.com: The Web's Most Trusted Source on Mesothelioma. 2006. "Newport Naval Yard-Newport, Rhode Island", http://www.mesothelioma.com/jobsites_ri_newport.htm
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Accessed: 31 July 2007. - Early, James F., LLC., Early, Ludwick, Sweeney, Strauss. 2007. "Job Sites: Shipyards", http://www.elslaw.com/usshipyards.htm
Accessed: 31 July 2007. - Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 16 October 2006. "Naval Station Newport."
Accessed: 31 July 2007. - The David Law Firm. "Shipyard Asbestos Exposure", http://www.asbestos-attorney.com/shipyard_asbestos_exposure.htm
Accessed: 31 July 2007.
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