Asbestos sheets are naturally tough and resistant. Consequently, since the late 1800s, linings made from asbestos were considered the best available product for high-temperature insulation. This explains how asbestos found its way into the shipbuilding industry as insulation in boilers, hot water pipes, steam pipes, and nuclear reactors. However, surveys conducted in the 1970s revealed dangerously high levels of asbestos dust in shipyards. Investigations found that when asbestos sheets were exposed to heat and damage, they simply released thin microscopic fibers into the air that remained suspended in the environment for long periods of time.

Why Is Asbestos in Shipbuilding Dangerous?

Workers exposed to asbestos particles, inhale and ingest this dust into their bodies, where it remains for many years. Ultimately, these fibers may lead to chronic lung ailments, lung cancer, and mesothelioma (a rare cancer that affects the thin membranes lining the chest and abdomen) in humans.Research suggested that the risk to workers is directly proportional to the length and quantity of exposure. That is why, in the 1970s, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in products that are exposed to high degree of heat and chemical exposure. That would seem to have been the end of the matter.

Does Asbestos from Shipbuilding Still Represent a Danger?

Studies show that Mesothelioma deaths are on the rise. Recent research conducted by Field Fisher Waterhouse shows that Mesothelioma deaths have jumped from 153 in 1968, to a whopping 1970 in 2004. There is a reason for this sudden jump: asbestos related diseases remain dormant for many years after exposure. There is generally a lag period of 15–30 years for development of disease. In case of mesothelioma, the lag period may even go up to 40-45 years. This means that a person carrying the deadly dust could develop symptoms of the disease 15-45 years after exposure.

Alarmingly, even family members of shipyard workers are in the high-risk zone because they are unwittingly exposed to asbestos dust that sticks to shoes, clothing, skin, and hair of workers. Secondary exposure is just as lethal as direct exposure, sometimes more so because young children, pregnant women, and aged relatives are generally more prone to diseases.

If you believe that you or a family member could have been exposed to the fine asbestos dust through work in a shipyard, you could be eligible for compensation and coverage.