Seneca Army Depot was built immediately before 1940 to serve as a munitions storage facility for the U.S. military. Located in Romulus, New York, it operated for sixty years, supplying nearly all of the ammunition and military supplies sent to support American troops as they fought in World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and every other conflict that the U.S. was engaged in before the base closed in 1995.[1]
During the years that the depot was constructed and used, asbestos was an important component of U.S. military construction, armaments, and supplies. The carcinogenic mineral was prized for its strength and resistance to heat and flame. It was used in the construction of the depot itself, was included in equipment on the base, and was also stored there as part of the military’s strategic stockpile. As a result, service members who were stationed at the depot and veterans and civilians who worked there or visited the site were at risk of exposure and for being diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases including malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.
The History of the Seneca Army Depot
In 1940, America’s preparations for war included creating munitions and supply storage facilities dedicated to protecting the homeland. Four sites were chosen in the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest corners of the country to provide for the needs of America’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Their locations were selected based on being close enough to the coast to allow for the delivery and deployment of supplies but far enough away to be safe from attack. The site chosen for storage of weaponry for the defense of the Northeast was located between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake in Romulus, New York, between two rail lines and on a solid bed of bedrock that ensured that an explosion in one storage bunker would not spread to others.[2]
The Army purchased over 10,000 acres for the Seneca Ordnance Depot and, in a matter of months, converted the land from what had been family-owned properties and farmland to a facility boasting hundreds of concrete igloos and several other buildings and structures for the storage of ammunition and other supplies. Constructed by a workforce that soared to almost 9,000 people, each igloo stood 20 feet across, 60 to 80 feet deep, and around 15 feet high, encased in concrete, and accessed through a 1,000-pound door.[2]
Throughout World War II, The Seneca Ordnance Depot’s activities revolved around ammunition being delivered, stored, and deployed for the war effort. After the war’s end, the military decided to expand the property, building an airfield for the Sampson Air Force Base, a radio tower for the Coast Guard, and ranges and fields for rifle and grenade practice. Army recruits completed basic training at the site, and Industrial Plant Equipment and machine parts used to build ammunition were also stored there before being delivered to other locations.[3]
After World War II, only 595 civilians were employed at the Seneca Ordnance Depot, but as America engaged in the Korean War, that number and the site’s activities and responsibilities grew. By July 1952, there were almost 2,000 civilians in the workforce. They built two large General Services Administration warehouses and engaged in what is referred to as the North Depot Activity, which involved the storage of nuclear weapons or their components. In 1959, 120 housing units were constructed for military personnel and their families, and in 1963 the combined North Depot Activity and Seneca Ordnance Depot were renamed the Seneca Army Depot. By 1966 the site had transferred command three times in three years, shifting from the Chief of Ordnance to the U.S. Army Supply and Maintenance Command, and then to the U.S. Army Materiel Command.[4]
In the 1970s, the site saw more construction and expansion. In 1974 the Incinerator Building was constructed. The massive structure disposed of nearly 18 tons of refuse per week between 1974 and 1979. The significant environmental damage that it caused led to the Seneca Army Depot being placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund National Priorities List.[5]
A transmitting station was built in 1977 for the U.S. Coast Guard to guide ships and aircraft in their flight and navigation. It was not until the early 1980s that it was publicly disclosed that the Depot had been a major nuclear weapons storage site as well as where the uranium for the Manhattan Project had been stored. This news led to picketing by numerous anti-nuclear groups and the establishment of peace encampments in the area. By 1990 the Seneca Army Depot was no longer operational, though final closure did not occur until the year 2000.[4]
Today, much of the site has been turned over to the Seneca County Industrial Development Agency. Much of the property is now serving diverse purposes, including the operation of a prison, a housing development, a storage company, and other purposes. Some of the land is dedicated to a wildlife preserve called Deer Haven Park which serves as a protected area for the area’s unique Seneca White Deer population.[1]
How Was Asbestos Used at Seneca Army Depot?
There were multiple applications for which asbestos was used at Seneca Army Depot. As was true of military bases across the country, the carcinogenic material was a component of nearly every piece of machinery that generated heat or friction. This included brake pads, linings, and clutches of vehicles used to transport supplies in and out of the Depot and the heavy machinery used for construction, as well as to insulate the electrical wiring used in communications such as those found in the transmitting station.
Asbestos was used to strengthen and insulate building materials used in family housing structures and administrative buildings, in plumbing and ceiling and floor tiles, in the base’s infrastructure, and in the boilers that heated the buildings and water for the site. It may have been a component of the concrete used for the construction of Seneca Ordnance Depot’s hundreds of storage igloos.
Additionally, raw asbestos was included among the many supplies stored on the base, specifically in Storage Tank #88 of Seneca Army Depot’s Tank Farm. An analysis of the site by the U.S. Army Engineering & Support Center in 2005 revealed that there was asbestos in the soil surrounding where the chrysotile asbestos had been stored.[6]
Asbestos-containing materials and parts used at Seneca Army Depot included:
- Adhesives
- Automobile and truck brakes
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement foundations
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Sealants
- Siding
- Soundproofing
- Valves
- Wallboard
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Seneca Army Depot?
From the time that Seneca Army Depot was originally constructed in 1941 through the year 2000 when it was officially closed, thousands of military personnel and civilian employees were exposed to asbestos in its buildings, its vehicles and heavy equipment, and its storage facilities. It was also a component of many of the supplies that were stored there. The Depot’s mission of moving supplies and weaponry in and out involved significant exposure and the tanks that stored supplies may themselves have been insulated with the carcinogenic material.
Those who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at Seneca Army Depot include Army veterans and individuals tasked with the following jobs:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- Roofers
- Carpenters
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Inventory control personnel
While the majority of the exposure to asbestos at Seneca Army Depot occurred through 1995 when the base was operational, many of its remaining buildings have been repurposed for modern use, and a report issued in May 2000 discussed concerns about asbestos found in floor tile, wallboard, and siding in multiple buildings.[7] Individuals who have spent time in the buildings that were leased for other uses may also be at risk from friable asbestos in these locations.
Help for Asbestos Victims Exposed at Seneca Army Depot
Seneca Army Depot has been closed for nearly 25 years, but the risk of being diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease after exposure to the carcinogenic material still threatens those who served there, worked there, or lived in the family housing units there. If you have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or any other asbestos-related disease and you believe your diagnosis was related to your time at the site, there is help available.
Military veterans diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease are eligible for special disability compensation and medical treatment through the Department of Veterans Affairs, including being eligible for care at any of the VA’s medical centers or treatment centers located throughout the country. Compensation may also be available by filing personal injury lawsuits against the companies responsible for supplying asbestos or asbestos-containing materials to the military. Claims can also be filed with the asbestos trust funds established by asbestos companies that have been forced into bankruptcy by their asbestos liabilities.
The best way to determine your eligibility for these and other options is to contact an experienced asbestos attorney. They will be able to evaluate your claim and provide you with the resources and information you need to move forward in whatever way works best for your needs and the needs of your family.
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