Asbestos in New York

 

 

New York Asbestos

 

New York has three deposits of naturally occurring asbestos with one in the northeastern region and the other two in the southeastern region near the Rhode Island state line. New York has a long history with the shipyard industry as well as the metal works industry as it was the prime city during America’s Industrialization movement.

 

History of New York Asbestos

 

Founded in 1858, The H.W. Johns Manufacturing Company specialized in the manufacturing of asbestos roofing, insulation and textiles. Founder, Henry Ward Johns, later formed the Johns Manville Company (JM) which later became the world’s largest asbestos products producer. Johns was able to develop and successfully market his asbestos product in New York City during the times of the industrial boom.

 

By the time the 1980s came around, JM continued to mine and produce asbestos products to be used by the automotive, aerospace and construction industries. The company did go on to be ranked in the Fortune 500 list. JM was also one of the wealthiest companies to file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Henry Johns died of what was described as a dust phthisis pneumonitis, the medical term for asbestos. Because of JM’s production of asbestos products, many of the now historic buildings in New York City contain asbestos products.

 

Jobs with Asbestos Exposure

 

Nearly 400 public buildings in New York (jobsites included) are believed to have asbestos. Schools, restaurants, shipyards, oil refineries, power plants and churches are just some public buildings that have issues with asbestos in New York, due to many being built long before the 1970s. The insulation in many of these public buildings contained asbestos. 

 

Plants owned by the Consolidated Edison, Inc. are known for their asbestos issues. Asbestos was common in plants due to their resistance to heat and fire, making it an ideal product to help insulate the pipes that ran throughout the facilities. Two plants previously owned by the Consolidated Edison, Inc. are the Astoria Powerhouse and Arthur Kill Powerhouse. Both of these facilities were also known to have issues with asbestos.

 

Shipyards are present in the state of New York. Thousands of vessels have been demolished and built in these very shipyards. Asbestos-containing products are commonly used in the construction of these ships. When asbestos is disturbed, the fibers are released into the air and made available for human exposure. With a strong Navy presence in the state of New York, particularly in the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard, asbestos not only affected shipyard workers, but also Navy veterans.

 

Thousands have been exposed to asbestos at some point in New York due to their employment or the very building they attend school or live. Asbestos is deadly not only because it can cause cancers such as mesothelioma, but its presence is usually unknown by most.

 

 

Metal Works:

Power Plants:

Shipyards:

 

 

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