Most often, asbestos was used for insulation in construction materials. It could be found in foam, spray, and roll out insulation used in buildings and also countless other materials. Nearly all aspects of the construction industry have at least some limited exposure to asbestos in the removal or repair of older fixtures. Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strictly prohibits the use of asbestos in construction and other industry. However, because of the delay in symptoms and diagnosis, many are still becoming sick because of prior workplace exposures. An expedient diagnosis helps your doctor to determine the best mesothelioma treatment.

There are few industries which are completely immune to asbestos exposure. However some are more susceptible than others. Because of its many uses, these occupational hazards can vary a great deal. Below is a listing of other jobsites in which asbestos exposure may have occurred.

Other Jobsites:

• Brownfields
• Fargo, ND Flood Areas
• Natick Labs
• Libby, Montana

Few people, however, are aware of another occupational danger faced by United States troops the threat of exposure to asbestos. Because this issue is not necessarily made public, it is safe to assume that no immediate action has been taken to limit exposure to this potentially harmful substance.

Asbestos in the Middle East

According to documents dating back to 2003, approximately $194,000 (USD) worth of chrysotile asbestos (also known as “white asbestos”) was imported to Iraq. Unlike Egypt and Saudi Arabia, its Middle Eastern neighbors, Iraq has not placed any sort of ban on asbestos use, and not one Middle Eastern country has ratified International Labour Organization Law Number 162, which was instituted at the 1986 Asbestos Convention. The ILO No. 162 outlines health and safety procedures related to asbestos, including regulations for employers put forth in an effort to protect the safety of all workers. Because ILO No. 162 is not in effect in Iraq, there are essentially no laws protecting workers and other individuals including U.S. military personnel from the adverse effects of asbestos exposure.

U.S. Military Personnel and Asbestos Exposure

Our nation’s troops certainly have ample concerns, and worrying about potential asbestos exposure should not be one of them. Asbestos materials may be present in a number of locations in Iraq, including military housing and other structures used by military personnel, and if U.S. troops are unaware that these buildings contain asbestos, they cannot take the appropriate measures to protect themselves from exposure.

Asbestos in older buildings is only harmful if inhaled or ingested. If asbestos-laden structures are damaged, asbestos fibers can become airborne, putting individuals present at risk of inhalation. Those exposed may not experience symptoms of asbestos disease for decades, which often makes it difficult to pinpoint when and where the individual was actually exposed.

In a place of war, asbestos-laden buildings are often destroyed using explosives, which puts U.S. troops and other individuals at risk of inhaling airborne asbestos fibers and dust. In addition, troops may be exposed to asbestos brake pads in older vehicles, or even while searching or conducting missions in Iraqi homes and commercial buildings, many of which have been abandoned and are now crumbling and in need of serious repair.

Protecting U.S. Troops from Asbestos Exposure

In an effort to maintain the health and safety of U.S. military personnel in Iraq, appropriate safety gear goggles and masks, for example should be distributed to troops and worn whenever they are in areas where asbestos exposure may occur. In addition, troops should be screened for respiratory disease upon returning to the United States, and close monitoring of their respiratory health should continue every few years.

Sources

International Ban Asbestos Secretariat
International Labour Organization
Occupational Cancer Convention

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Jobsites by City:

Manhattan

• World Trade Center
• Caddell Drydock
• Penn Station
• Grand Central Station
• Madison Square Garden
• New York Plaza
• Pan Am Building
• Rockefeller Center
• Con-Ed Excavation Work
• Con-Ed Powerhouse – 14th St.
• Con-Ed Powerhouse – 74th St.
• Con-Ed Powerhouse – A St.
• Con-Ed Powerhouse – E. 72nd St.
• Con-Ed Powerhouse – East River Generating Station
• Con-Ed Powerhouse – Hellgate Station
• Con-Ed, E. 14th St.
• Con-Ed – W. 65th St.

Brooklyn

• Brooklyn Navy Yard
• Todd Shipyards Brooklyn

The Bronx

• Co-Op City

Queens

• JFK Airport
• Lefrak City

Syracuse

• Carrier Corporation
• H. S. Kaiser Co., Veterans Administration Hospital
• I.B.M.
• Money Insurance Building
• Onandaga City Savings Bank
• Sibley Project, Phase B
• Syracuse University
• Towers Apartments
• VA Hospital
• Vincent J. Smith Comm. Hospital
• Warehouse 918 Canal St.
• Warren St. Parking Garage

Rochester

• Bee Bee Station
• Kodak
• Oden Bach Shipyard
• Red Cross Building
• Russel Station
• St. Mary’s Hospital
• University of Rochester Dining Hall

Elmira

• Chewing Canal Trust Co.
• Coburn School
• Elmira Hospital
• General Electric
• New York Telephone Building

Buffalo

• Food Machinery Corp.
• Hooker Chemical Plant
• Huntley Station
• Main Place at Pearl & Court St.
• Police Headquarters Garage
• Sealtest Foods Inc.
• Temple Beth Zion

Albany

• A.J. Eckert
• Albany Five & Ten Cent Bank
• Albany Government Center
• Albany Housing Project
• Albany Medical College
• Albany Power Plant
• Albany South Mall
• Albany State Mental Hospiptal
• Albany Steam Station
• Albany VA Hospital
• Albany Vetrinarian Hospital
• Beacon Oil
• Cebro Oil Co.
• G.A. Fuller
• Glenmont Power Station
• Lincoln Housing
• New Dorm-Albany State Teachers
• Niagara Mowhawk Powerhouse
• Sheridan Ave. Steam Station

Utica

• St. Elizabeth Hospital
• St. Mary’s Hospital

Watertown

• Ny State Highway Garage

New York Mesothelioma Treatment:

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Tel: 212-639-2000
Address: 1275 York Avenue New York, NY 10021

One of the most general work areas containing asbestos was the metal works industry. Due to the unique qualities of asbestos (such as its durability and fire and heat resistance) metal industries used it extensively in insulating metal materials. Those who would be most susceptible to exposure would be those who worked in steel yards, mines and railroads. Asbestos dust could have been present in any area of those environments. Certain products, however, are more likely to have been the source of the dust and airborne fibers in those areas. These products include thermal insulation, steam pipes, hot water pipes, gaskets, brakes and clutches.

The aftermath of asbestos exposure is extremely dangerous. If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos through years of work at a metal industry, contact a doctor immediately to receive a complete physical and testing for asbestos related diseases. A proper diagnosis will help your physician determine the best mesothelioma treatment.

Metal Works Listings

Illinois

• Acme Metals, Inc.
• Chicago Heights Steel
• Keystone Steel and Wire
• Northwestern Steel and Wire

Maine

• Bath Iron Works

Ohio

• LTV Steel Company

Oregon

• Willamette Iron & Steel Yard

Washington

• Reynolds Aluminum

Years later, effects of the asbestos on the shipbuilding industry are surfacing. Medical studies show that 86% of workers with 20 or more years of shipbuilding experience suffer from an asbestos-related disease. Although the US government now regulates asbestos in the shipbuilding industry, the effects are still being felt.

Shipyard Listings

Alabama

• Bender Shipbuilding
• Gulf Shipbuilding
• Alabama Drydock

Alaska

• Seward Ships Drydock
• Seward Marine Industrial Center

California

• Bethlehem Steel Shipyard Terminal Island
• Bethlehem Steel Shipyard San Francisco
• Conrad Industries
• Consolidated Shipyard
• Hunters Point Naval Shipyard
• Kaiser Shipyard
• Long Beach Naval Shipyard
• Mare Island Naval Shipyard
• Moore Dry Dock
• Todd Shipyard Los Angeles
• Todd Shipyard Oakland
• Todd Shipyard San Francisco
• San Diego Naval Shipyard and Air Station
• Southwest Marine
• Western Pipe & Steel
• General Dynamics NASSCO
• Richmond Shipyards
• Rough and Ready Island Ship Repair
• San Francisco Drydock
• Naval Weapons Station Concord

Connecticut

• Electric Boat
• Naval Submarine Base New London

Florida

• Atlantic Dry Dock
• Pensacola Naval Air Station
• Tampa Bay Shipbuilding
• Gulf Marine Repair Corporation
• The Hendry Corporation
• Mayport Navy Station
• Offshore Building Company

Hawaii

• Pearl Harbor Shipyard

Louisiana

• Avondale Industries
• Bollinger Shipyard
• Conrad Industries

Maine

• Bath Iron Works
• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Maryland

• Bethlehem Shipbuilding Maryland
• Ellicott International
• Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard
• Baltimore Marine Industries

Massachusetts

• Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard
• Boston Navy Yard
• Charlestown Navy Yard
• Fore River Shipbuilding
• General Ship Corporation

Michigan

• Defoe Shipyard

Mississippi

• Halter Marine
• Ingalls Shipbuilding
• Naval Station Pascagoula

New Jersey

• Federal Shipbuilding
• New York Shipbuilding Company
• Naval Weapons Station Earle

New York

• Bethlehem Staten Island Shipyard
• Brooklyn Navy Yard
• Caddell Dry Dock
• GMD Shipyard
• Todd Shipyard Brooklyn

North Carolina

• North Carolina Shipbuilding Co.

Ohio

• American Shipbuilding Company

Oregon

• Albina Shipyard
• Astoria Voyage Repair Station
• Cascade General Shipyard
• Dyer Shipyard
• Portland Shipyard
• Northwest Marine Works
• South Portland Shipyard
• Swan Island Shipyard
• Tongue Point Naval Yard
• Willamette Iron and Steel Yard

Pennsylvania

• Bethlehem Steel Shipyard
• Cramp Shipbuilding
• Key Highway Shipyard
• Penn Shipbuilding
• Pennsylvania Shipyard -Beaumont
• Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
• Sun Shipbuilding

Rhode Island

• Naval Station Newport

South Carolina

• Braswell Services Group
• Carolina Shipping Company
• Charleston Navy Shipyard
• Detyens Shipyards

Texas

• American Bridge Shipyard
• AMFELS
• Barbas Cut Docks
• Bloodworth Bond
• Boats of Freeport
• Brown Shipyard
• Consolidated Western Steel Corp.
• Galveston Docks
• Houston Shipyards
• Kane Shipbuilding
• Naval Station Ingleside
• Orange Shipbuilding
• Port Adams Shipyard
• Trinity Marine Group

Virginia

• Colonna’s Shipyard
• Little Creek Amphibious Base
• Lyon Shipyard
• National Shipyards
• Newport News Naval Shipyard
• Norfolk Naval Shipyard
• NORSHIPCO
• PHILLYSHIP
• USX Shipyard

Washington

• Bremerton Naval Shipyard
• Duwamish Shipyard
• Foss Tug and Launch Company
• Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard
• Lake Union Drydock
• Marco Shipyard
• Naval Station Everett
• Puget Sound Bridge Yards
• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
• Strategic Weapons Facility
• Tacoma Dry Dock
• Todd Pacific Shipyard
• Voyage Repair Station Port Angeles

Washington D.C.

• Washington Navy Yard

Wisconson

• Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.

The conditions under which most asbestos exposures occur are occupational, or workplace encounters with the toxin. Some jobsites are more prone to asbestos exposure than others. Those who worked in construction, shipyards, railroads, or power plants are generally most at risk, but exposure is not limited to these professions. Asbestos was used mainly for its ability to insulate and prevent heat transfer. Therefore any profession which engaged materials that required this quality is potentially an at-risk occupation.

Of particular risk are those who worked with older fixtures and structures, especially those built prior to 1980. Recent studies have shown that nearly 80% of all structures built prior to 1980 contain some degree of asbestos in their construction. In terms of vessel-construction, asbestos was one of the most commonly used materials in shipyards for its ability to protect the integrity of the ship’s construction against temperature extremes. For this reason, shipyard exposures are extremely common.

Jobsites may also be related to natural disasters and terrorist attacks, such as those of Hurricane Katrina and the World Trade Center site following September 11th. The force of these events left many at risk of asbestos exposure. In fact it is said that the World Trade Center Twin Towers contained as much as 300 tons of asbestos, nearly all of which was released among the dust when the towers fell. Those who were present during either of these events, or have worked within recovery efforts could also have been potentially exposed to asbestos.

As said above though, there are very few professions which are said to be asbestos exposure-immune. Simply by inhabiting an older building, exposure is possible under the right conditions. It is important to recognize if you may have been exposed and seek further information. If you are presently, or were once employed at an-asbestos prone category of jobsites, it is important you closely monitor your personal health and seek a physician’s guidance.