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  • Home > Navy Yard Workers / Yardbirds

Navy Yard Workers / Yardbirds

Naval yard workers are at higher risk of developing certain kinds of respiratory-related diseases such as mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos, commonly used inside U.S. Navy ships. Civilian shipyard workers, known as yardbirds, were exposed to large doses of asbestos when building Navy ships and when repairing Navy ships. Because asbestos-related disease is slow to strike, many Navy yard workers and yardbirds may only recently have been diagnosed with mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos decades ago.

If you worked as a Navy yard worker or as a yardbird and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer from asbestos exposure, you may be eligible for special health benefits and compensation. While your first priority should be your health, it’s important to speak to an experienced mesothelioma claims attorney to understand your legal rights. The manufacturers of asbestos products used on Navy ships knew or should have known of the dangers of asbestos before it was used on ships. But they failed to warn naval yard workers of the health hazards they were facing. We believe those companies should be held accountable for the harm caused by those products.

The asbestos litigation lawyers at Belluck & Fox LLP represent Navy yard workers and yardbirds with asbestos and mesothelioma disease in New York and nationwide. We pride ourselves on our commitment to you and your family while investigating your mesothelioma and asbestos exposure claims.

To speak with an experienced asbestos claims attorney free of charge, call (888) 803-6231 or use our online contact form.

Asbestos In Navy Shipyards

Millions of people employed in naval shipyards during World War II and the decades afterward were exposed to chrysotile asbestos as well as other forms of asbestos, including amosite and crocidolite since these varieties were used extensively in ship construction, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. These include Navy yard workers and yardbirds who worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, at Bethlehem Steel on Staten Island and at Federal Shipbuilding in Newark, New Jersey.

In fact, asbestos was used in a variety of materials that were used for construction of Navy ships until the 1980s, such as wrap around steam pipes and as insulation in boiler rooms.  For many years, Navy yard workers and yardbirds did not even wear masks or respirators when working around asbestos materials. They inhaled the microscopic asbestos fibers into their lungs where the fibers lodged for decades, causing scarring of the lung and eventually causing mesothelioma, a signature cancer associated with asbestos. There were so many particles of airborne asbestos that yardbirds were sometimes nicknamed  “snowbirds,” because when they emerged from a ship they were covered with white asbestos dust.

The symptoms of mesothelioma vary, depending on where the asbestos-related cancer occurs. The signs of pleural mesothelioma, the most common form which develops in the lining of the lung, include chest pain under the rib cage, painful coughs, shortness of breath and unexplained weight loss. The symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma which occur in the lining of the stomach include abdominal pain, swelling, lumps in the abdomen and weight loss.

Contact An Experienced Mesothelioma Claims Attorney

At Belluck & Fox, LLP, we understand the health hazards that Navy yard workers and yardbirds face from exposure to asbestos and the burden that mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease puts on a family. We are committed to helping victims of mesothelioma by holding accountable asbestos manufacturers for the harm they caused.

Belluck & Fox LLP is a nationally recognized law firm that represents individuals with asbestos and mesothelioma claims. The firm provides personalized and professional representation and has won nearly $350 million in compensation for clients and their families. While no amount of money will make up for the loss of good health or the death of a loved one, compensation obtained through an asbestos lawsuit can relieve worries about paying medical bills and help secure your family’s future.

There is a time limit after diagnosis of mesothelioma for filing asbestos claims, so it’s important to talk to an experienced mesothelioma lawsuit lawyer right away. We will provide you professional and personalized service, so please call for help.  For a free evaluation of your asbestos claim, contact the firm at (888) 803-6231 or through our online contact form.