PORT ADAMS SHIPYARD

Shipyards were hotbeds for job-related asbestos exposure, says study

If you are interested in the Port Adams Shipyard in Texas because you once worked there, medical statistics show that you are at great risk for developing mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos-related cancer that is responsible for 90,000 deaths worldwide every year.

May 19, 2010 – A recent New York City hospital medical study revealed how serious the threat of asbestos exposure is to all shipyard employees, not just those who worked in the Port Adams Shipyard in Texas. The study reported that 86 percent of workers with 20 or more years of shipbuilding experience suffer from asbestos-related diseases.

Port Adams Shipyard

For nearly 100 years, asbestos was used extensively in the maritime industry to insulate a ship’s steam pipes, boilers, gaskets, valves and other machinery parts where friction, heat insulation, or fires were a concern. Upkeep and installation of asbestos-laden machinery and maritime products were the primary work activities at the Port Adams Shipyard.

Port Adams Shipyard workers were kept in the dark about these dangers for decades by their employers and asbestos product manufacturers. Powerful asbestos lobbying groups also stalled the release of this information. The general public did not become aware of the cancer-causing effects of asbestos until the 1980s, when state and federal officials began enacting regulations governing the handling of asbestos-containing materials.

Port Adams shipyard dangers

For years, Port Adams shipyard workers plied their trades in confined, poorly ventilated areas below deck, uninformed about the dangers of working with asbestos, and with little or no protection against the toxic airborne asbestos fibers these products shed.

Port Adams shipyard asbestos causes mesothelioma

Despite many years of regulations controlling asbestos use in the shipbuilding industry, the dire health effects of asbestos exposure are still being felt today. That’s because once asbestos fibers are inhaled, they embed themselves into the lining of the lungs and remain there for years, more often decades, before developing into fatal illnesses that include asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.

All types of mesothelioma are primarily caused by occupational asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma most commonly develops in the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma cancer), but it can also develop within the linings of the heart and abdomen.

Treating asbestos-related diseases is an expensive endeavor, and speaking with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer about the legal options that are available to you could result in the payment of compensatory damages to help pay for medical expenses and lost wages.

Champion to Port Adams Shipyard workers

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of shipyard workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form at left.

We will pursue your asbestos claim with vigilance and help you obtain the maximum amount you are entitled to. There is no cost to you until we obtain a settlement or a verdict in your favor.