Willamette Iron & Steel Yard

The Willamette Iron & Steel Yard, which closed in 1990, was known as the Williamette Iron Works when it was founded in 1865 in Portland, Oregon. In World War I and World War II and the years between, the Willamette Iron & Steel Yard was very active, employing hundreds of workers to build:

• patrol craft
• submarine chasers
• minesweepers
• small auxiliary craft
• commercial vessels

The Willamette Iron & Steel Yard also made steam locomotives for logging companies in the Pacific Northwest, and by the 1970s, the Yard expanded into turbine units for a powerhouse for the Grand Coulee Dam.

Asbestos at Shipyards

Workers at the Williamette Iron & Steel Yard may have been using, installing, or removing ship or locomotive parts that contained asbestos, a carcinogenic mineral that was widely used in the shipbuilding industry in the first two-thirds of the 20th century. Shipyard employees have a significantly higher incidence of asbestos-related diseases compared to the general population, because of the prevalence of asbestos in the industry.

Asbestos Diseases Among Shipyard Workers

Asbestos diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma usually take years to develop. The tiny fibers of which asbestos is comprised are the cause of the diseases; the fibers are accidentally inhaled or ingested by the personnel in the vicinity of the asbestos. The fibers do not decompose in the human body. They disrupt the lungs’ normal functioning, damaging the body on a cellular and DNA level.

More Info about the Williamette Iron & Steel Yard

A diagnosis of an asbestos disease can be devastating. Contact us for more information about the medical and legal options available to shipyard workers.