Seward Ships Drydock is located in Seward, Alaska. Opened in 1973 when asbestos was still being used extensively in shipbuilding, the shipyard’s workers experienced significant exposure to asbestos from the materials they used while repairing and rebuilding the marine vessels brought to them for their shipbuilding and repair expertise, as well as from asbestos already in place in the vessels. Those workers are at significant risk of being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases.
Why Was Asbestos Used in Shipbuilding?
Asbestos became popular as a shipboard component in the early twentieth century when scientific methods of measuring fire resistance showed it to be the best and most cost-effective insulating material. By 1922, the U.S. Navy had specified its use in new submarines, specifying that it be included in gaskets, insulation, packing, and tape. By 1939, the United States had classified asbestos as a critical material and began stockpiling it.[1] From that time until the 1970s, when it was identified as being carcinogenic, the material was used to strengthen and insulate shipboard materials of all types.
Did Seward Ships Drydock Use Asbestos?
The Seward Ships Drydock was opened in 1973, the same year that asbestos consumption in the United States hit its all-time high of over 800,000 tons. However, it was several years after asbestos was linked to malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. But It took several years before regulations were put in place to discontinue the mineral’s use: The Clean Air Act of 1970 granted the Environmental Protection Agency the power to regulate its use and disposal, and in 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was formed to establish federal guidelines for workplace asbestos exposure.[2]
Despite these important steps, it wasn’t until 1975 that OSHA officially declared asbestos a carcinogen and proposed lowering the safe-exposure threshold, and it took years beyond that for shipyards like Seward Ships Drydock to stop using the material in its shipbuilding and repair materials. Additionally, the marine vessels that sailed into the site for repairs were built and equipped decades earlier when the material was used without thought, thus exposing workers doing repair work to legacy asbestos.
History of Seward Ships Drydock
Established as a general shipyard in response to the need for skilled repair and reconstruction of vessels that sailed local fishing grounds, Seward Ship’s Dry Dock opened in 1973. Originally established at a small facility in Seward, increased demand led to the facility relocating to a larger site in the nearby Leirer Industrial Park. Several years later, it expanded again, this time rebuilding a 300-ton marine railway facility located at Lowell Point. The drydock made its final move in 1985 when it began servicing and drydocking ships at an 11-acre site at the Seward Marine Industrial Center, as well as expanding its footprint onto an additional covered work area of 35,000 square feet.[3]
Throughout its history, Seward Ships Drydock has serviced marine vessels of all sizes, including enormous oil tankers. Its services have included conversions and major repair work, electrical work, fabrication, design and engineering services, pump and valve repair, sandblasting, welding, hull and bottom systems, and hydraulics. It continues operating today as Seward Ship Facility, run by JAG Alaska, Inc. and has earned a reputation for offering its services at more reasonable prices than what is charged by larger shipyards elsewhere on the Pacific Coast.
How Did Seward Ships Drydock Use Asbestos?
During the earliest days of its operations, shipyard workers at Seward Ships Drydock were exposed to asbestos from the materials and equipment that they used for repairs as well as from pipe insulation, boilers parts, incinerators, valves, and gaskets that were previously installed on the ships they worked on. Almost every aspect of ships built before the 1980s relied on asbestos for strength, durability, and fireproofing, so exposure to the airborne particles released during repair work was almost inescapable.
Even in the years after asbestos was identified as carcinogenic and safety regulations were put in place, employees were at risk. Many were responsible for removing asbestos insulation and parts from equipment that was previously installed on the ship and did so in small areas with poor ventilation and without the benefit of protective clothing or masks.
Materials that would have exposed Seward Ships Drydock employees to asbestos include:
- Insulation
- Pipes
- Boilers
- Cement
- Pumps
- Gaskets
- Valves
- Sealing
- Packing
- Textiles
- Asbestos Rope
- Safety gloves
- Fireproofing material
- Adhesives
In addition to the risk that shipboard asbestos posed to Seward Ships Drydock’s shipyard workers, their family members, who they returned home to each night, were at risk of secondary exposure to asbestos dust carried home on their hair, skin, and clothing. Many spouses of people exposed to asbestos at work have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases after years of shaking the dust off of their husband’s work clothes and laundering them.
Were You Exposed to Asbestos at Seward Ships Drydock?
Occupational exposure to asbestos has been directly linked to malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. Though you may feel healthy today, it’s important for you to educate yourself about the dangers of asbestos and these illnesses. Asbestos-related diseases have latency periods that can extend for decades, and because their initial symptoms often mimic those of less dangerous illnesses, many people ignore them. Similarly, physicians who are unaware of your exposure history may treat your symptoms incorrectly, wasting valuable time. Make sure that you let your healthcare practitioner know your risk factor so that they can act quickly and appropriately should any troubling symptoms appear.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible to seek compensation from the asbestos companies that provided the deadly material to the shipyard or on the ships that you worked on. After arranging for medical care, your next step should be to talk to an experienced asbestos attorney who can explain the process of filing personal injury lawsuits or claims with asbestos trust funds established by asbestos companies that have sought bankruptcy protection.
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