Formerly housed on the West shore of the Duwamish River, the Duwamish Shipyard in Seattle, Washington was a major repair facility for various watercraft up until its closure in April 2007. Over its 68 years in operation, the Duwamish Shipyard was an important industrial and shipping hub, staffing up to 200 workers during its peak years.
As with any shipyard workers, those who worked at the Duwamish Shipyard should be aware of the risks of asbestos exposure and should seek medical care and legal counsel should they be diagnosed with an asbestos disease.
The Role of the Duwamish Shipyard
Rather than building, deconstructing or storing ships, the Duwamish Shipyard primarily focused on repairing vessels, including:
- fishing boats
- industrial barges
- passenger ferries
- pleasure vessels
- tug boats
On average, the Duwamish Shipyard would repair about 60 water vessels each year. Types repair services commonly performed at the Duwamish Shipyard included:
- carpentry
- electrical work
- insulation repairs
- pipe-fitting
- pressure washing and grit blasting
- welding, steel and general body work
Asbestos Exposure at Shipyards
Due to the scope of repairs performed at the Duwamish Shipyard, staff was regularly working throughout given vessels, repairing anything from the ship's boiler room to its outer structure. This vast range of possible shipyard repair work meant that workers were consistently experiencing toxic asbestos exposure, particularly when working with:
- drywall and wallboards
- fireproofed materials and equipment
- incinerators
- insulation (including that used for electrical and piping applications)
- ropes and textiles
- sealants and sprays
While the EPA and OSHA have both instituted various regulations to protect workers from harmful asbestos exposure, these legally binding regulations have only been in place in recent decades, meaning that many retired or longstanding shipyard workers were regularly and unsafely exposed to asbestos in their early careers.
Moreover, despite the fact that asbestos regulations were enacted, many shipyards were slow to implement the necessary safety measures, further prolonging toxic asbestos exposure. These delays, as well as blatant employer negligence, have triggered a number of asbestos diseases in shipyard workers.
Asbestos Diseases
Tragically, anyone who endures regular asbestos exposure for extended periods of time is at a high risk of developing serious, incurable and life-threatening conditions, such as:
- asbestosis, a non-cancerous condition marked by chronic breathing problems
- larynx cancer
- lung cancer
- mesothelioma
- throat cancer
Although individual likelihood of developing one of the above conditions will depend on the length and type of asbestos exposure, one study performed at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine revealed that, of those working in the shipyard industry for at least 20 years, about 85 percent would eventually suffer from an asbestos-related condition.
If you were employed with the Duwamish Shipyard and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos disease, contact us today to learn more about your options.
