Which US Navy Shipyards Had the Worst Asbestos Exposure? 2026 Ranking

Every U.S. Navy vessel built between the 1930s and the late 1970s contained asbestos in multiple structural and mechanical systems. Shipyard workers who built, repaired, and overhauled these vessels inhaled asbestos fibers daily — often without any respiratory protection. The following ranking is based on government health surveys, EPA contamination records, OSHA enforcement actions, and documented litigation outcomes.^[9]

"The Navy knew about asbestos health risks as early as the 1930s but continued mandating its use in ship construction for decades. The documentation trail — from classified health surveys to EPA contamination reports — establishes a clear timeline of institutional knowledge and inaction." — Larry Gates, Senior Advocate, Danziger & De Llano

Which Navy shipyard ranks as the most dangerous for asbestos exposure?

#1 — Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton, WA)

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, founded in 1891 and still active today, is the oldest and largest naval shore facility in the Pacific Northwest. A 1970 U.S. Navy report found that 21% of pipe coverers and insulators at Puget Sound had pulmonary issues directly related to asbestos exposure — the most damning workforce health finding from any Navy shipyard.^[1]

A separate study covering 1962 to 1972 documented extremely high airborne asbestos concentrations at the facility, particularly during WWII and Korean War operations when tens of thousands of civilian and military workers processed vessels around the clock. Workers handled asbestos pipe insulation, boiler lagging, spray-on fireproofing, gaskets, valve components, and deck coverings.^[1]

The EPA cited numerous OSHA violations for dangerous working conditions and conducted cleanups for asbestos, mercury, lead, and nuclear waste in the areas surrounding the shipyard. Workers and veterans have filed claims against both the shipyard and manufacturers including Johns-Manville and Raymark.^[9]

#2 — Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Portsmouth, VA)

Norfolk Naval Shipyard, founded in 1767, is America's oldest and longest continuously operating naval shipyard. EPA reports confirmed that the facility disposed of approximately 320 cubic yards of asbestos waste per month from 1954 to 1983 — nearly 30 years of sustained, documented contamination.^[3]

A 2018 EPA report indicated asbestos remained likely present in older buildings and that operations could still release asbestos fibers in contaminated waste. Workers servicing Atlantic Fleet carriers, submarines, and surface combatants were exposed to asbestos-insulated steam lines, exhaust systems, ceiling tiles, flooring, electrical panels, and boiler room insulation throughout the facility's peak operational decades.^[3]

In 2014, a boilermaker who worked at Norfolk in 1969 and through the 1970s secured a settlement after a mesothelioma diagnosis. In a separate case, a pipe coverer sued Johns-Manville and other manufacturers — the companies attempted to shift liability to the U.S. Navy but the court ruled they remained liable for failing to warn workers.^[9]

What did the classified 1944 Navy health survey reveal about Bath Iron Works?

#3 — Bath Iron Works (Bath, ME)

Bath Iron Works, founded in 1884 and now a subsidiary of General Dynamics, has one of the most damning paper trails of any U.S. shipyard. A classified 1944 Navy health survey found asbestos contamination at the facility at 10 times the safe level. The survey was suppressed — workers were never informed.^[5]

Health risks had been documented even earlier. In 1942, Dr. Philip Drinker reported to the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery that dust in the air posed serious risks to workers and recommended regular examinations for insulation and pipe covering workers. Despite four decades of documented knowledge, OSHA did not fine Bath Iron Works $4.2 million for unsafe working conditions until 1987.^[4]

Sagadahoc County, Maine — where Bath Iron Works is located — has one of the highest asbestos death rates in the country. In 1983, Johns Manville Corporation cited the classified 1944 survey in court, accusing the Navy of allowing "gross exposure to asbestos fibers" and alleging the Navy purchased asbestos from Africa and sold it to Johns Manville for profit.^[5]

"Bath Iron Works is the case study for institutional concealment. The Navy had a classified survey showing 10 times the safe level of asbestos in 1944. Workers continued building ships in those conditions for another 43 years before OSHA finally acted." — Larry Gates, Senior Advocate, Danziger & De Llano

The Blaine Austin case illustrates the human cost. Austin worked as a painter and cleaner at Bath Iron Works from 1952 to 1976, exposed to asbestos when cleaning up after pipe coverers and painting over asbestos insulation. He died of mesothelioma in 1977. A jury awarded his widow Margaret over $320,000, assigning liability to suppliers Raymark, Johns Manville, UNARCO, and H.K. Porter.^[13]

How dangerous was asbestos exposure at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi?

#4 — Ingalls Shipbuilding (Pascagoula, MS)

Ingalls Shipbuilding, now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) — the largest military shipbuilder in the United States — exposed tens of thousands of workers to asbestos from 1938 through the early 1980s. Workers constructing amphibious assault ships, destroyers, and Coast Guard cutters had close contact with asbestos pipe insulation, boiler lagging, gaskets, deck coverings, fireproofing materials, and bulkhead panels.^[9]

Former workers have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and pulmonary fibrosis. In one documented case, a 79-year-old missile and gun design engineer who worked at Ingalls from 1973 to 1979 was diagnosed with mesothelioma and recovered approximately $1.2 million. The 20-to-50-year latency period means new diagnoses from Ingalls exposure continue today.^[9]

What did federal investigators find at Long Beach Naval Shipyard?

#5 — Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach, CA)

Long Beach Naval Shipyard operated from 1943 to 1997 as the primary non-nuclear surface ship maintenance facility for Southern California. At its Vietnam-era peak, the base homeported 140 ships and 40,000 personnel. Workers performing sandblasting, pipefitting, boiler work, insulation handling, and spray-on asbestos applications received no proper protective gear.^[2]

A 1979 Comptroller General report specifically examined asbestos contamination at Long Beach and documented asbestos dust aboard two ships, stray fibers on pipes stripped of asbestos insulation, and pipe ends with exposed asbestos materials in a ship's fire room. The report provided federal-level documentation of the contamination that workers had experienced for decades.^[2]

A January 2010 Navy cleanup report for the Long Beach Naval Complex identified asbestos, chemicals from storage, ship manufacturing waste, degreasing agents, paint removal materials, dry cleaning chemicals, and fuel residue. The California Environmental Protection Agency approved cleanup plans, and the site was converted to a commercial container port.^[14]

Why are submarines ranked as the worst overall asbestos exposure environment?

While individual shipyards can be ranked against each other, submarine duty represents the most extreme asbestos exposure scenario in any military setting. Nearly 400 U.S. Navy submarines contained asbestos, and all submarines built from 1922 through the early 1980s used asbestos-containing materials under government mandate.^[10]

Three factors made submarines uniquely dangerous. Confined spaces concentrated airborne fibers to levels far exceeding surface ship conditions. Sealed compartments during submerged operations meant fibers could not disperse — unlike surface ships where crews could go topside for fresh air. And submarine crews both lived and worked at the exposure site 24 hours a day for weeks or months during deployments. Poor ventilation systems allowed fibers to remain suspended in recirculated air for hours.^[7]

A 65-year mortality study of approximately 114,000 atomic veterans found that high-risk Navy ratings — including submarine-specific specialties — had a mesothelioma standardized mortality ratio of 6.47, meaning they were nearly 6.5 times more likely to die from mesothelioma than the general population.^[7]

How does Coast Guard asbestos exposure compare to Navy shipyard exposure?

The U.S. Coast Guard continued using asbestos in cutters and equipment until 1991 — approximately a decade longer than the Navy. Inspections found nearly 5,000 square feet of damaged, friable asbestos aboard the construction-tender fleet alone. Assessments revealed an absence of formal training for asbestos control coordinators and few documented inventories of asbestos material.^[6]

A 2007 retrospective cohort study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine found significant excess mortality among Coast Guard shipyard workers from all causes, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. The study concluded that most excess mortality was "probably related to asbestos exposure."^[6]

How do the top Navy shipyards compare on key risk indicators?

What shipyard occupations carried the highest mesothelioma risk?

Across all five ranked shipyards, the same occupational groups faced the most severe asbestos exposure. The 1970 Puget Sound study confirmed that pipe coverers and insulators had the highest documented rate of pulmonary disease — and this pattern held at every major facility.^[1]

The highest-risk shipyard occupations include:

• Pipe coverers and insulators — direct handling of asbestos lagging and insulation wrapping
• Boilermakers — worked inside asbestos-insulated boilers and heat exchangers
• Pipefitters — cut, fitted, and joined asbestos-insulated pipe systems
• Electricians — worked around asbestos cloth, tape, and insulation boards in wiring conduits
• Welders — welding near asbestos materials released fibers through heat disturbance
• Sheet metal workers — fabricated and installed components adjacent to asbestos insulation
• Dry dock laborers — performed general maintenance that disturbed asbestos throughout vessels
• Ship repair technicians — overhauled vessels built with hundreds of asbestos-containing products

"My dad worked here for 35 years, and he died from asbestos after being exposed to it." — Son of former Ingalls Shipbuilding worker, court testimony

What compensation is available for Navy shipyard workers in 2026?

Navy shipyard workers and veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma can pursue multiple compensation pathways simultaneously. The PACT Act of 2022 expanded VA benefits and made mesothelioma a presumptive condition — veterans no longer need to prove a direct link between military service and their diagnosis.^[12]

All four pathways can be pursued simultaneously. VA compensation does not reduce trust fund recovery, and the Feres Doctrine — which prevents suing the federal government — does not protect private manufacturers who supplied asbestos products to Navy shipyards.^[11]

Frequently asked questions about Navy shipyard asbestos exposure

Sources

1. U.S. Navy Health Survey — Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Pipe Coverer and Insulator Study (1970) — U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
2. Comptroller General Report — Asbestos Contamination at Long Beach Naval Shipyard (1979) — U.S. Government Accountability Office
3. EPA Assessment — Norfolk Naval Shipyard Asbestos Disposal Sites, 1954–1983 (2018) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
4. OSHA Citation Records — Bath Iron Works $4.2 Million Fine for Unsafe Working Conditions (1987) — Occupational Safety and Health Administration
5. Johns Manville Corp. Allegations — Classified 1944 Bath Iron Works Navy Health Survey (1983) — U.S. District Court Records
6. Coast Guard Shipyard Worker Mortality Study (2007) — Occupational and Environmental Medicine
7. Boice JD Jr et al. — 65-Year Mortality Follow-Up of Atomic Veterans (2019) — International Journal of Radiation Biology
8. VA Disability Compensation Rates (2026) — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
9. Shipyard Exposure Index — WikiMesothelioma
10. Navy Ships Asbestos Database — WikiMesothelioma
11. Veterans Mesothelioma Quick Reference — WikiMesothelioma
12. PACT Act of 2022 — U.S. Congress
13. Austin v. Bath Iron Works et al. — Wrongful Death Verdict, $320,000 Jury Award — Maine Superior Court Records
14. Long Beach Naval Complex Cleanup Approval (2010) — California Environmental Protection Agency
15. Toxicological Profile for Asbestos — Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2024