The Sampson Naval Training Station in Seneca County, New York was initially used by the Navy and later became an Air Force Base. Throughout its years of use by these two military branches, the structures built on the site, as well as the equipment used to heat and insulate those structures, were contaminated with asbestos. This put all those who worked with the material or breathed in its fibers at risk for asbestos-related diseases like malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer. Years after the bases were closed, the site was found to be contaminated with the toxic material and required significant remediation to protect the surrounding community.
Asbestos at Sampson Naval Training Center
Sampson Naval Training Center was built in 1942 and was completed in 270 days. Hundreds of thousands of sailors lived there and trained there, in buildings that were constructed using asbestos-containing materials and heated by boilers insulated with asbestos-containing materials.
Navy personnel and civilian contractors alike were exposed to the carcinogenic mineral when the training center was built and whenever any repairs or maintenance needed to be done on the buildings or heating system, as well as from any vessels that were used for training purposes on Seneca Lake and any maintenance or repair on any vehicles used on the base.
The History of Sampson Naval Training Station
When World War II was looming, the Navy expanded the number of shipyards, bases, and training centers in its portfolio. It recognized the potential of Seneca Lake in Romulus, New York as a training center for sailors and purchased 2,535 acres on the lake’s eastern shore and created the Sampson Naval Training Station. From the time the construction of the training station was announced on May 13, 1942, it took just 270 days and $56 million to build what was described as a “city within a city” that housed between 4,000 and 5,000 Navy personnel at a time and which trained 411,4420 Navy recruits before they were sent to serve.
The training center was divided into multiple units, each containing a 14-acre parade ground and drill field, a drill hall with a two-acre indoor drill area, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a movable stage, and motion picture equipment. The site also included a mess hall, barracks for enlisted men and separate barracks for officers, dispensaries, a ship-service building for recreation, an administrative building, a rifle range, a small-arms magazine, and a large storehouse. Almost all these buildings, as well as the auditorium, reception and visitors building, chapel, post office, brig, jail, and guard barracks, were built using asbestos-contaminated materials.[1]
The recruits that were sent to Sampson Naval Training Center endured 90 days of basic training that included anti-aircraft training, platoon drills, and swimming lessons as well as military history, mechanical skills, and general intelligence. After becoming Seamen 2nd Class, they were ready for assignment to a ship or sent for additional specialized training in Navy service schools. When the war ended, the training center was converted to a separation center for those returning to civilian life.
Later, the training center’s facilities were used as a two-year school called Sampson College specifically for returning military personnel. Though it was briefly given to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for food storage, when the Korean War began it was converted to a basic training base for the Air Force. The Air Force spent $6 million to renovate the site, adding an airport runway. More than 330,000 airmen trained there until the base closed in 1956.
After the Air Force was done with Sampson, the site was sold back to New York State, which converted it into a state park in 1963. That site later required remediation by a professional asbestos remediation and environmental service company to demolish the abandoned asbestos-contaminated structures at the site and manage and dispose of waste materials.[2]
How Was Asbestos Used at Sampson Naval Training Center?
The buildings at Sampson were constructed in the 1940s when asbestos-containing materials were prized for their strength, insulating characteristics, and fireproofing ability. The U.S. military specified the use of asbestos for myriad applications with the idea of protecting servicemen. Additionally, asbestos-contaminated parts and insulation were integral to the maintenance and upkeep of the steam boilers that were located in almost every building on the site. Pipes, boilers, and valves were insulated with asbestos, and as this equipment needed repair, civilian contractors and Naval and Air Force workers were exposed to the toxic material.
Repair work, maintenance, removal of asbestos-containing materials, and their replacement all resulted in asbestos fibers becoming airborne and inhaled, leading to countless people developing mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other respiratory problems.
Equipment and parts that put people at Sampson at risk of asbestos exposure include:
- Pipe insulation
- Spray-on insulation
- Other types of insulation
- Boilers
- Concrete
- Floor tiling
- Machinery casing
- Ceiling material
- Doors
- Wall panels
- Sealants
- Automobile brake linings
- Paints
- Adhesives
- Gaskets
- Pipes
- Safety equipment and protective clothing
Who Is at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Sampson Naval Training Center?
Any civilian contractors, Navy veterans, or Air Force veterans who were present on the base had the potential of being exposed to asbestos in Sampson Naval Training Center’s buildings, but this is especially true of anybody who worked on the heating systems, boilers, pipes, and valves that kept the base’s structures warm. Similarly, any personnel who were responsible for the maintenance of vehicles used by the base personnel were at risk of asbestos exposure from asbestos-contaminated brake linings.
Additionally, the abandoned buildings that remained at the site until the time that the asbestos was remediated continued to pose a risk to those who visited the state park.
Were You Exposed to Asbestos At Sampson Naval Training Center?
If you have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible for special benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. You may also be able to seek compensation from the companies responsible for having exposed you to asbestos, An attorney who specializes in asbestos litigation can help you identify the options available to you and help you choose the best course of action to fit your needs.
