VANCOUVER SHIPYARD NEWS

During WWII, Vancouver shipyard owners exposed an entire generation of workers to mortal asbestos dangers

Former shipyard workers in the United States, Vancouver and all of Canada are now eligible to seek financial compensation through our firm after a diagnosis of an asbestos-related cancer, such as mesothelioma.

Get a free copy of our sourcebook, "Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, Asbestos Litigation and Your Rights."

VANCOUVER SHIPYARD ASBESTOS HAZARDS

June 1, 2010 – Among the millions of workers who have been exposed to asbestos dust since WWII, shipyard workers represent one of the largest groups at risk for developing fatal asbestos-related diseases. Those who plied their trades at the Vancouver Shipyard run as great a risk of developing mesothelioma as any shipyard worker in the United States.

Some four million people worked in shipyards during World War II, when shipbuilding was at its peak and when use of asbestos was rampant. During combat, fires at sea were a real concern, and asbestos helped foil such incidents.

But what started out as a precautionary measure against the outbreak of onboard fire emergencies turned into decades of horror as thousands of shipyard workers came down with fatal asbestos-related diseases, including the most deadly: mesothelioma cancer.

Vancouver Shipyard

The Vancouver Shipyard began its boat-building activities in the Vancouver area before World War II, and ultimately helped construct 1,490 Navy ships, or 27 percent of the needed merchant ships by the United States Maritime Commission.

The Vancouver Shipyard, as well as the shipyards in California, were all known for fast-tracked shipbuilding. It is said that each could build a ship in as short as 10 days.

And in that rush, asbestos was applied extensively to insulate boilers, steam pipes, hot water pipes, and nuclear reactors. Despite a dramatic decrease in the use of asbestos since the 1980s, ships built before then still pose risks to shipyard workers whose duties are to repair and maintain them.

From 1990 to 1999, ship building was the second highest industry specified on U.S. death certificates of asbestosis victims age 15 and older.

Weitz & Luxenberg – Champion to the American worker

If you at any time worked at the Vancouver Shipyard, or any shipyard in the United States, and you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, you are invited to obtain a free legal consultation with a Weitz & Luxenberg asbestos attorney through the communication form on this page.

Weitz & Luxenberg specializes in asbestos-injury litigation and is known in the legal community for obtaining record-setting verdicts and settlements for workers who have fallen ill (often years later) from on-the-job asbestos exposure.

Protect your family’s financial future today and obtain a free appraisal of your case to determine your eligibility to receive financial compensation.