Historical Asbestos Exposure in some Shipyards in New Jersey


Some shipyards in New Jersey have a history of asbestos exposure that primarily affected workers until the 1980s. Asbestos was commonly used in shipbuilding due to its heat-resistant properties, making it ideal for insulation, fireproofing, and other applications crucial for ship safety and functionality. Here’s more about the specific shipyards:

  1. New York Shipbuilding Corporation (Camden, NJ): This was one of the largest shipbuilding facilities in the area, operating from 1899 until 1967. It built numerous naval and commercial ships, where asbestos was widely used in construction materials.
  2. New York Shipbuilding – Burlington (Burlington, NJ): As a branch or extension of the main Camden yard, the Burlington site would have likely engaged in similar uses of asbestos, especially if it was involved in any repair or overhaul work on older vessels.
  3. Todd Shipyard (Hoboken, NJ): Todd Shipyard, like other major shipyards across the country, used asbestos extensively in ship construction and repair. This yard was involved in building and maintaining a variety of ships, especially during the World War II era.

Workers at these shipyards were at high risk of asbestos exposure, particularly those handling materials directly, like insulators, pipefitters, electricians, and boilermakers. Even after the major period of asbestos use ended in the 1980s, workers can still be exposed when dealing with older ships or materials that contain asbestos.

It’s also important to note that the effects of asbestos exposure can take decades to manifest, with diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer becoming apparent long after the initial exposure. This delayed onset of symptoms means that former shipyard workers, and even those involved in more recent refurbishments or demolitions of old ships, could still be at risk.