BROOKLYN NAVY YARD ASBESTOS DANGERS

Diagnosed with mesothelioma? Weitz & Luxenberg will seek the maximum compensation you and your family are entitled to.

Weitz & Luxenberg burst to the forefront of asbestos litigation 24 years ago when it obtained a record-setting $75 million for 36 Brooklyn Navy Yard workers diagnosed with mesothelioma and other fatal diseases linked to asbestos exposure.

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD ASBESTOS

July 29, 2010 – No place is more “New York” than Brooklyn. And no place in Brooklyn more epitomizes the hazards of occupational asbestos exposure than the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard is a proud one and can be traced back to the years immediately following the American Revolution when, in 1801, the fledgling U.S. government purchased 40 acres of land located on the East River and turned it into an active U.S. Navy shipyard five years later.

For more than 150 years, the Brooklyn Navy Yard served its country well by producing and repairing naval warships right up through the 1960s.

The real heyday of the Brooklyn Navy Yard was during WWII, when the shipyard employed more than 70,000 workers and operated 24/7. At least 65 naval vessels, including some very important and legendary ships, such as the U.S.S. Saratoga and PT 109, were launched from its piers.

Brooklyn Navy Yard asbestos

The yard’s glorious history, however, is not spotless. Many believe that the owners and managers of these facilities during the 1940s, 50s and 60s are directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of shipyard workers who endured daily exposures to asbestos, perishing years later from diseases like lung cancer and asbestosis.

Brooklyn Navy Yard managers saw to it that asbestos-based insulation products, used by the ton, were generously applied below deck to their warships. All this occurred, despite employers’ knowledge of asbestos toxicity.

Asbestos was favored for its unique combination of properties that met the immediate needs of a country at war. Asbestos was a reliable insulating material that could help prevent fires at sea, especially during combat engagements. It was also prized as an insulator against heat, electricity and water corrosion. And it was inexpensive, which appealed to frugal shipyard owners.

Because of these attractive intrinsic properties, asbestos was used for many purposes and for every application and product imaginable.

Asbestos exposure. Confined below deck in unventilated quarters, seamen accidentally inhaled airborne asbestos fibers that dislodged from these products, resulting in asbestos exposures and death.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is the signature asbestos-related disease that kills approximately 3,000 individuals every year in the United States. It is an insidious disease with a long mesothelioma latency period, which can last decades, sometimes up to 50 years, before diagnosable mesothelioma symptoms appear.

That means Brooklyn Navy Yard workers who plied their trades as late as 1970 are still vulnerable to developing mesothelioma today, especially if their work activities brought them in direct contact with asbestos-based products.

Legal options

Every Weitz & Luxenberg mesothelioma lawyer understands the emotional and financial complexities of asbestos disease in the family – and exactly what is required to secure maximum compensation for the injured worker’s family.

In a landmark asbestos class-action lawsuit, Weitz & Luxenberg obtained multimillion-dollar verdicts for three dozen Brooklyn Navy Yard workers diagnosed with mesothelioma and other fatal diseases linked to asbestos.

Many other shipyard workers have sought compensation for their illnesses, and have won large settlements with strong legal support from Weitz & Luxenberg, proud defenders of injured American workers.

If you decide to move forward with your mesothelioma claim, please know our law firm works on a contingency basis, which means we are paid a percentage of the final settlement or verdict. That means there are no upfront legal fees, whatsoever.

Protect your family’s future financial well-being today by obtaining a free case review and answers to all your concerns by using the form at left.