The New Cumberland Defense Depot, located in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, has a long and storied history dating back to 1918. Over the past 100+ years, it has fulfilled missions ranging from reserve depot to helicopter maintenance and repair and has been home to soldiers, farm animals, and even a nine-hole golf course. Because the depot operated through the entirety of the years when asbestos was relied upon by the Department of Defense, it was used throughout the base’s buildings, infrastructure, and equipment, exposing those who served and worked there to the risk of malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other serious illnesses.
The History of the New Cumberland Defense Depot
A study of the New Cumberland Defense Depot’s history reflects how the security needs of the United States have shifted over the past century. The site was selected in 1917 by President Woodrow Wilson, who was seeking land for reserve depots near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and another near Schenectady, New York. By 1918, the first buildings were being constructed, including a supply depot, and over 3,000 people were employed to construct warehouses, sheds, an infirmary, a fire station, a bakery, a pump house, barracks, lavatories, mess halls, officer’s quarters, PX, and guardhouse.[1]
The site was originally referred to as the Marsh Run Storage Depot, though its official name was the U.S. Quartermaster Interior Storage Depot. Its mission as a supply depot required access to transportation hubs, so over ten miles of railroad track was laid to connect the area to both Baltimore and New York via the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Highways were also constructed. Part of the land was set aside for farming wheat and hay that was transferred to Camp Meade in Maryland, and a stone quarry produced crushed stone.[1]
When World War I came to an end, the depot was used as a receiving point for supplies being sent back to the U.S. from Europe, with over 2,000 boxcars filled with materials being sent there in 1919 alone. Though it stored supply items used for signal, chemical warfare, medical, engineering, and ordnance purposes, between World War I and World War II, the depot was largely quiet — in fact, a large tract of its land was set aside and leased to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for an airport, and other land was reassigned as a right of way for a highway. The Department of Agriculture used a significant amount of space for Plant Quarantine and Control Administration, and other space was leased for storage for the Works Progress Administration. The site’s name changed several times, from Quartermaster Reserve Depot to Army Reserve Depot, then to General Reserve Depot, and back again to Quartermaster Reserve Depot.[1]
Once World War II began, the site’s original farm buildings were demolished to make way for new construction as the site returned to its original mission as a filler depot for overseas shipments. By 1941, its storage capacity had doubled, and a reception center for newly inducted soldiers was built. The New Cumberland site processed more than 90 percent of central Pennsylvania’s soldiers and later served as a German prisoner of war camp. In 1943, it was renamed the Army Service Forces Depot.[1]
After the war’s end the depot was renamed again; this time, it was the New Cumberland General Depot. It was used for receiving and disposing of excess supplies and equipment and in 1946, was established as a War Reserves Branch for storage. A nine-hole golf course was built under the Quartermaster General, and after the last of the POWs had been released and the induction center shut down, a U.S. Disciplinary Barracks Branch was activated.[1]
Activity on the base increased again during the Korean Conflict, and the site saw significant new construction, with four enormous new warehouses that were approximately a quarter mile long being built. In 1960, the site added an aircraft hangar and maintenance shops to accommodate maintenance and repair facilities for U.S. Army helicopters and other aircraft, and there were 24 miles of railroad track with a railroad siding capacity of 700 cars and a 250-car capacity yard. In 1967, the site became a field installation of U.S. Army Supply, came under the management of the Army Materiel Command, and was renamed the New Cumberland Army Depot.[1]
Though the 1970s and early 1980s saw little expansion of the site’s infrastructure, it was extremely active, delivering emergency supplies to victims of Hurricane Agnes Tropical Storm Eloise. Its mission was modified to include the Aviation Support Command, serving as a secondary stockade and issue point for the east coast. It was later designated as the principal distribution depot support Army units in Europe, as well as supply and maintenance operations and overhaul and modification of Chinook helicopters.[1]
By the mid-80s, the New Cumberland Army Depot was no longer providing helicopter maintenance and served primarily as a supply depot. Many of its buildings were demolished to make room for more storage and distribution facilities, and more roads were built. The site was officially deactivated in 1991 and assigned to the Defense Logistics Agency, becoming headquarters responsible for the management of eight other depot operations in the eastern United States. It managed material distribution functions for Department of Defense customers, except for fuels and munitions. This assignment made it the largest Department of Defense wholesale distribution depot in the country. By 2002, it was part of the largest automated distribution facility in the department.[1]
How Was Asbestos Used at New Cumberland Defense Depot?
Throughout much of the 20th century, asbestos was an invaluable material for many different industries and applications, and this was especially true for the U.S. military. The Department of Defense intentionally required that asbestos, which was known to add strength, durability, and fire protection, be included in construction projects, equipment and parts, and its infrastructure. This practice was meant to provide additional protection for service members and military assets, but led to tragic outcomes decades later, as exposure to the toxic material led to countless veterans being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other illnesses.
There is an extremely long list of applications where asbestos was used at New Cumberland Defense Depot, with the majority of the material being used in the construction of the site’s vast warehouse and distribution buildings that were built between the 1930s and 1980s. But the material was also included in the vehicles and equipment that helped the site operate, from forklifts and railroad cars to brake linings and insulation of pipes and boilers. The depot’s barracks and mess halls were built using asbestos, and the helicopters and other aircraft that were maintained and repaired there were fabricated using asbestos-containing parts and repaired using asbestos-containing components. Even the electrical wiring within the walls was insulated using asbestos.
Asbestos-containing materials and parts used at New Cumberland Defense Depot included:
- Adhesives
- Automobile and truck brakes
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement foundations
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Forklifts
- Gaskets
- HVAC systems
- Helicopter and aircraft brakes and other parts
- Insulation materials
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Railroad cars and track
- Sealants
- Siding
- Soundproofing
- Valves
- Wallboard
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at New Cumberland Defense Depot?
New Cumberland Defense Depot was in continuous operation as a supply depot from 1918 onward. Though most of its original 195 buildings were demolished over the years, about two dozen remained as recently as the 1980s, and as the site’s mission expanded, construction was constant. Most of the buildings that were built after 1930 were built using asbestos wallboard, ceiling and floor tile, insulation, and siding, and the infrastructure, from plumbing to heating, was made with asbestos-containing concrete, sealed with asbestos gaskets, made with asbestos-containing valves, and taped with asbestos-containing mastic.
A 1984 site survey conducted to assess the presence of historic properties on the site noted that most of the buildings constructed at New Cumberland Defense Depot after 1940 had cement shingles and siding that contained asbestos.[2]
Approximately 3,000 employees worked at the New Cumberland Defense Depot at any given time, and tens of thousands of recruits passed through over the years. Personnel on the base worked in the warehouses, lived and ate in the barracks, worked or were treated in the infirmary, and maintained and repaired vehicles, helicopters, and aircraft were all exposed to the asbestos that surrounded them, and so too were the construction workers who built the depot’s many buildings.
In addition to being part of the infrastructure, asbestos was also a component of many of the supplies that were stored in New Cumberland Defense Depot’s many warehouses and passed through its distribution centers. As supplies were moved in and out, unpacked, and placed onto shelves or repacked for distribution, asbestos fibers were released into the air, where it was inhaled or ingested.
In one notable case, a man who worked as a laborer and tool and parts attendant at the depot for 32 years was diagnosed with mesothelioma. His estate filed a lawsuit against multiple manufacturers, including forklift brake manufacturers, that it blamed for negligently exposing him to toxic dust. In a deposition given before he died, the man testified that he’d swept up the dust created by mechanics and from his opening packages. He described unboxing brake shoes and brake linings for forklifts. He recalled handling drum brakes and other asbestos-containing materials and the extreme amounts of dust that filled his working environment. The case is continuing through the courts.[3]
Those who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at New Cumberland Defense Depot include veterans and individuals tasked with the following jobs:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- HVAC Workers
- Roofers
- Carpenters
- Firefighters
- Helicopter and aircraft mechanics
- Automobile and truck mechanics
- Railroad yard workers
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Inventory control personnel
In addition to the risk faced by these personnel, there is a real risk to any family members who may have lived in military housing on the site or who might have suffered secondary asbestos exposure to asbestos fibers carried home on their hair, skin, or clothing.
The people who lived, worked, and served at New Cumberland Defense Depot in the years that asbestos was being actively used were at the greatest risk of exposure, but because so many of the site’s assets were built using the toxic material and remain in place, risk of exposure remains to this day. It is important that anybody who performs any repair or maintenance work exercises extreme caution and remains vigilant, particularly around any potentially asbestos-containing structures that may be damaged and release deadly legacy asbestos fibers into the air.
Help for Asbestos Victims Exposed at New Cumberland Defense Depot
Today, we know that asbestos exposure has potentially deadly repercussions, but for the better part of the hundred-plus years that New Cumberland Defense Depot was in operation, those who worked and lived there were unaware of the risk that they faced. If you spent time at the facility and have not experienced any health problems, it does not mean that you’re safe – malignant mesothelioma has an extremely long latency period, and it will serve you well to educate yourself about the disease’s symptoms and to notify your healthcare professional about your history of asbestos exposure to help them achieve quick and accurate diagnosis should symptoms arise in the future.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease after working or serving at New Cumberland Defense Depot, your first step is to seek expert attention from a state-of-the-art medical center and have a treatment plan in place.
With that done, your next step is to make an appointment with an experienced asbestos attorney who can explain the resources that are available to you. If you are a veteran, you can seek both disability compensation and treatment through the Department of Veteran Affairs, which offers expert care at many of its specialized facilities. You also may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the asbestos companies that provided the contaminated parts, supplies, or components to which you were exposed or to file a claim against any of the asbestos trust funds set up by the companies that filed for bankruptcy protection in the face of significant asbestos liabilities.
Whichever compensation option works best for you and your family, make sure that you take action before the statute of limitations that applies to your case expires. Your mesothelioma attorney can explain those dates, as well as talk to you about what you can expect from the legal process as you move forward.
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