The USS Lionfish (SS-298) was one of the advanced Balao-class submarines engineered during World War II to counter Japanese naval forces across the Pacific Theater. While the vessel made invaluable her wartime contributions and represented technological improvements over earlier designs, she also contained asbestos that created serious health risks for naval personnel and shipyard employees who served aboard or
Founded in 1869 as Gray & Barton, Western Electric was one of America’s most prominent telecommunications equipment manufacturers. For over fifty years, the company used asbestos-containing materials in dozens of its products, creating widespread exposure risks for workers and their families. The company’s extensive use of this hazardous mineral from at least 1919 until 1974 resulted in
The USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN-644) was a Benjamin Franklin-class ballistic missile submarine that served the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1992. Like other World War II and Cold War naval vessels, the ship was built using substantial amounts of asbestos that created serious health risks for the crew, as well as shipyard personnel who served her. These veterans
Few think of schools as mesothelioma risks, but the average age of U.S. school buildings is 49 years old. Roughly 38% were built before 1970 and 28% before 1950, when asbestos was commonly used in construction. In 2023, asbestos began falling from the walls and ceilings of Philadelphia’s 115-year-old Frankford High, leading to the building’s
The USS Charles B. Cecil (DD-835) sailed for the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1973. A Gearing-class destroyer, her service record included atomic testing operations, Cold War missions, the Suez Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. Built before the mid-1970s, the ship’s structure made extensive use of asbestos-containing materials. As a result, numerous former
The USS Lafayette (SSBN-616) was the flagship vessel of her submarine class, which played a pivotal role in America’s nuclear deterrence throughout the Cold War. From 1963 until she was decommissioned in 1990, she conducted 76 strategic deterrent patrols across the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Like other naval vessels of her time, the Lafayette’s construction made extensive
Bakelite was a revolutionary plastic material that promised unlimited possibilities for manufacturing and design. Many formulations contained asbestos fibers that exposed countless workers and consumers to the risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other fatal diseases. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Union Carbide Corporation seeking compensation for the harm that its Bakelite material caused. The History of Bakelite Bakelite’s history
The USS Turner (DD-834) was a Gearing-class destroyer that served the U.S. Navy with distinction. Built in 1945, the ship’s structure contained significant amounts of asbestos, to which thousands of sailors who sailed and served on her were exposed. Veterans who served on the Turner face heightened risks of developing mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other serious asbestos-related diseases.
The USS James Monroe (SSBN-622) was a Lafayette-class ballistic missile submarine that served America throughout the Cold War era, from 1963 to 1990. Though she represented the height of underwater warfare technology, the widespread use of asbestos throughout her structure created serious health risks for the approximately 2,600 sailors who served on board. These veterans are now at risk
Sid Harvey Industries is a distributor and manufacturer of HVAC equipment. The company was founded when asbestoswas routinely included in these products. Though the company transitioned away from its use by the late 1970s, countless workers and technicians suffered exposure through contact with the company’s products and developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other life-threatening conditions. The History