Albina Shipyard is located in a part of the city of Portland that is known as Albina, once a separate town named after the wife of the town's founder. Albina was consolidated into Portland in 1891. The Albina Shipyard is bordered by Oregon's Willamette River, and the Fremont Bridge crosses over the shipyard at one end. The employees of the Albina Shipyard have constructed or repaired many ocean-going vessels.
Asbestos on the Job
It is likely that some of the workers at the Albina Shipyard were exposed to asbestos on the job. Oregon ranks high among the states in the rate of cases of mesothelioma, a cancer to which shipyard workers and asbestos industry workers are especially prone.
Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer of the mesothelium, the tissue that lines the inside of the chest cavity. The only identified cause of mesothelioma is asbestos inhalation.
Asbestos is very widely used in the shipbuilding industry, primarily because its fire- and friction-retardant properties made it a useful component of many ship parts such as boilers, turbines, pumps, and gaskets, and in insulation and tools. The people who build or repair ships are at risk of inhaling asbestos fibers when they work with asbestos-containing parts.
Respiratory cancers and other diseases are alarmingly common among shipyard workers, especially those who spent years working in shipyards in the 1940s, 50s, or 60s. The diseases sometimes take many years to manifest themselves, showing symptoms years or even decades after the asbestos exposure.
If You Worked at the Albina Shipyard
Many former shipyard employees have been diagnosed with asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma that was caused by their on-the-job exposure to asbestos. If you're a former employee of the Albina Shipyard and you're concerned about your health and your legal options, contact us today to learn more about what you can do.
