If you worked in New Jersey, asbestos exposure may be what's ailing you

Frank Sinatra. Buzz Aldrin. Bruce Springsteen. The list of famous Americans born and raised in the Garden State goes on and on, but astronauts and singers are not New Jersey's only exports. New Jersey is home to many factories, shipyards and military bases.

In this last century, New Jersey has trained millions of American soldiers at Fort Dix, produced millions of cans of Campbell's soup in Camden, and—unfortunately—exposed millions of people who worked in New Jersey to asbestos.

Weitz & Luxenberg would like to provide information about some of the places of work where a person living and working in New Jersey may have been exposed to asbestos. The locations range from shipyards to now-closed asbestos factories (like Brassbestos, Union Asbestos & Rubber Co., and Worldbestos) to your own backyard, if you lived within a half-mile of two asbestos-contaminated factories.

Inhaling asbestos fibers was not your choice, but you can choose to learn more about the ways in which New Jersey residents were exposed to asbestos, and to learn more about your legal options.

New Jersey's asbestos disease mortality rates are sixth highest in the country

Not only are New Jersey's asbestos disease mortality rates are sixth highest in the country

(http://www.ewg.org/sites/
asbestos/tables/deathdetails_state.php), New Jersey residents are still being diagnosed with asbestos diseases that developed from exposure years before.

New Jersey's asbestos problem may have something to do with the amount of factories, shipyards, military bases in the state. The presence of two government-listed asbestos contamination sites may be another contributing factor.

For residents of the Edgewater and Trenton who lived within a half-mile of the former Celotex and Zonolite factories, asbestos exposure risk is likely. The Environmental Working Group provided these numbers—address, population within a half mile, and average wind speeds—in 2004, trying to estimate how far outside the factory the asbestos fibers may have traveled:

Celotex

1 River Road
Edgewater, NJ 7020

Average wind speed: 9.3 MPH

Population within one-half mile: 12,419

Zonolite Company/W.R. Grace

35 Industrial Way
Trenton, NJ 8619

Average wind speed: 9.5 MPH

Population within one-half mile: 1,729

(http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/tables/phase1sites.php)

Military bases in New Jersey: asbestos risk for veterans and personnel

US veterans have been exposed to asbestos in many ways. The Department of Veteran Affairs explains one of the ways in which members of the armed forces have been exposed to asbestos:

“During World War II, several million people employed in U.S. shipyards and U.S. Navy Veterans were exposed to chrysotile products as well as amosite and crocidolite since these varieties were used extensively in military ship construction.” (http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/occupational_environmental/asbestos.asp)

Other ways in which you may have been exposed to asbestos during your military service include

Milling
Shipyard work
Insulation work
Demolition of old buildings
Carpentry and construction
Manufacture and servicing of friction products, such as clutch facings and brake linings
Manufacture and installation of products, such as roofing and flooring materials, asbestos cement sheet and pipe products, and military equipment (VA Public Health)

Whether you were briefly stationed at one of these military bases, or lived there for years, it is likely that there was asbestos present during construction, repair, and other duties. The method of your asbestos exposure depends on what branch you served in, and what your specific duties were.

Air Force bases:

McGuire Air Force Base in Wrightstown

Army bases:

Fort Dix in Burlington County

Fort Monmouth in Monmouth County

Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County

Coast Guard Bases:

The LORAN Support Unit in Wildwood

Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May

Naval Bases:

Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (or Maxfield Field; formerly known as Naval Air Station Lakehurst, and later as Naval Air Engineering Center Lakehurst)

Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck

(http://militarybases.com/new-jersey/)

Shipyards

Shipyards are a common source of asbestos exposure. When you combine the large amount of insulation required for an aircraft-carrier or a battle cruiser, and the popularity of asbestos during World War II and after, the result is many exposed and sickened shipyard employees.

The National Cancer Institute reports that after asbestos usage “greatly increased during World War II,” doctors found “an increased risk of developing mesothelioma ... among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries, and other tradespeople.” (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma)

The following shipyards no doubt contained the same amount of asbestos as any twentieth century shipyard, and were no more or less dangerous. If you worked at any of the shipyards listed below, it is likely that you were exposed to asbestos while you worked.

East Coast Shipyard, Bayonne, NJ
Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock, Newark, NJ (1917—1949)
John H. Mathis & Company, Camden, NJ (1900—1961)
Kearny Yard, Kearny, NJ
New Jersey Drydock and Transportation, Elizabethport, NJ
New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber, NJ
Newark Bay Shipyard,Newark, NJ
New York Shipbuilding Corporation (New York Ship), Camden, NJ (1899—1967)
Penn-Jersey Shipbuilding, Camden, NJ

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipbuilders_and_shipyards)

Weitz & Luxenberg can help

If you were exposed to asbestos years ago, and are now sick with an asbestos-related disease, you have legal options. Weitz & Luxenberg has helped many people suffering from asbestos diseases, and we have recovered over $3 billion in compensation for our clients.

If you are sick with an asbestos disease and want to explore your legal options, call Weitz & Luxenberg today, or fill out a form to receive a free legal consultation.

Acknowledgments:

http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/tables/deathdetails_state.php

http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/tables/phase1sites.php

http://militarybases.com/new-jersey/

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipbuilders_and_shipyards