Brooklyn, New York, is a thriving part of New York City with a current population of 2.5 million and is the city’s most highly-populated borough. It is close to Manhattan and East Coast shipping lanes that have shaped the borough’s economy for decades. If you have lived and worked in Brooklyn and other parts of New York City for a long time, there is a possibility you were exposed to asbestos on the job or at home.
A specific site of high asbestos contamination in Brooklyn, New York, is the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Extensive information about this dangerous site is included below. (Mesothelioma.net)
High-Risk Industries for Asbestos Exposure in Brooklyn, New York and Beyond
New York City, Brooklyn, and the state of New York contain many industries and facilities that have exposed thousands of workers to asbestos over the decades.
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard was opened as the New York Navy Yard in the late 1700’s on the shores of the East River. The Brooklyn Navy Yard constructed a merchant ship under its initial contract and built a vessel for the Navy in 1798. In the 1930s, the Brooklyn Navy Yard became the major battleship shipyard in the United States. This naval yard built the battleship North Carolina and battleship Iowa. The Brooklyn Naval Yard was one of the biggest employers in the region for blue-collar workers.
Throughout WWII, the Brooklyn Navy Yard focused on ship repairs and conversions. The Yard also build coal, oil, and freight ships.
Unfortunately, asbestos was used heavily for ship construction and repairs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from the 1800s through the 1900s. There are many former workers from the Yard that are filing personal injury lawsuits today after getting mesothelioma from asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma has a long latency period and it can take decades before symptoms develop from working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. There also are New York mesothelioma legal actions being filed in New York City for people who were exposed to asbestos at Brooklyn Navy Shipyard.
Todd Shipyards (Brooklyn Division)
Todds Shipyards was originally founded in Brooklyn and was once known as Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company. During WWII, the number of employees at the shipyard was at least 20,000. Approximately 3,000 ships were built there to help with the war effort. After WWII, the Todd Corp. had the Brooklyn Division focus on projects besides shipbuilding and repair. Still, workers were exposed to asbestos that eventually could cause them to get mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Asbestos
The entire asbestos industry started in Brooklyn and New York City when Henry Johns began to market materials that contained asbestos to use in construction projects starting in the 1850s. Johns was the founder of what later became the Johns-Manville Corporation.
Many historic structures in Manhattan, Brooklyn and across New York have had to have exhaustive asbestos abatement efforts because of the asbestos used in these buildings. It is possible that millions of people over the years were exposed to asbestos because of its heavy use in New York City buildings.
Construction
New York City and Brooklyn are always known for its skyline changing on a regular basis. Over the decades, some of the biggest construction projects in the world have been in New York City.
It also has been the home of some of the worst tragedies, such as the terrorist attacks in Manhattan on 9/11. The asbestos that was released in the air when the Twin Towers collapsed has led to a high number of asbestosis and mesothelioma cases in Brooklyn and other neighborhoods in the area. These asbestos-related problems are directly related to the high amounts of asbestos used in construction by Lord Construction Company, W.R. Grace, and Asbestos Construction Company. (mesothelioma.com)
Shipbuilding
New York City and Brooklyn are many things, but it is largely a port city with several shipyards and docks for construction and repair of vessels used for export, import, and leisure. Vital military installations such as the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard also may be found in New York City. Shipyards with asbestos contamination also are based elsewhere in New York on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Power Plants
New York has many large power plants that send electricity to New York City and Brooklyn. Several of these power plants have been known to be contaminated with asbestos, such as Arthur Kill Generating Station and Astoria Gas Generating Station on Staten Island. Another is Ravenswood Generating Station in Queens, near Brooklyn.
Brooklyn, New York Asbestos Lawsuits
New York City, Brooklyn, and New York state have been one of the top locations for asbestos litigation. Plaintiffs typically file a mesothelioma lawsuit against several companies that were aware of asbestos dangers but did not warn consumers or workers. (asbestos.com)
It is common for one asbestos lawsuit in New York to have dozens of defendants. Some states have legal and medical limits on asbestos victims, New York lawmakers have increased protections and regulations from exposure.
New York also has a ‘two-disease rule’ that lets plaintiffs who filed a claim for an asbestos-related disease that was not cancer to file another lawsuit if they get mesothelioma later. The state also has an expedited trial schedule for asbestos lawsuit plaintiffs.
In 2017, the biggest asbestos verdict in New York ever was awarded to Ed and Marlena Robaey. Marlena got a peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosis in 2012, followed by pleural mesothelioma in 2016. Her diseases were caused by second-hand asbestos exposure from her husband’s work in engines and boilers in New York City.
Asbestos Exposure at Brooklyn Jobsites
If you were employed at any of these companies in Brooklyn, you could have been exposed to asbestos:
- AMF Inc.
- Acands, Inc.
- Acorn Insulated Wire
- American Machine and Foundry Company
- Long Island University
- New York Telephone
- Paragon Oil
- Seney Hospital
- Todds Shipyards Corporation
- Union Lead and Oil Company
- US Army Supply Base
- US Naval Air Station
- Wheeler Shipyard
- Williamsburg Power Company
- YMCA
Brooklyn, New York Mesothelioma Attorney Information
If you or a loved one was diagnosed with mesothelioma, consider contacting one of these mesothelioma attorneys in New York City:
Weitz & Luxenberg
700 Broadway
New York NY 10003
(855) 977-9411
www.weitzlux.com
Few law firms in New York City have more experience in mesothelioma litigation than Weitz & Luxenberg. This law firm stands behind people who have been exposed to asbestos by negligent corporations. The firm prizes personal client relationships and handles most of the legal burden so asbestos exposure victims can focus on their health.
Napoli Shkolnik PLLC
360 Lexington Avenue
11th Floor
New York NY 10017
(844) 860-0949
www.napolilaw.com
The law firm of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC has many experienced mesothelioma attorneys who understand the devastation that this cancer diagnosis brings to you and your loved ones. If you have developed mesothelioma because of the negligence of an employer, you can count on Napoli Shkolnik PLLC to help.
Zlotolow & Associates
225 West 34th St., Suite 2202
New York City NY 10122
(212) 991-9750
www.zlotolaw.com
If you were exposed to asbestos in Brooklyn or elsewhere in New York City, Zlotolow & Associates has the skill and experience in this complex area of the law to help you. Their skilled mesothelioma attorneys can track down the companies that may have exposed you to asbestos and hold them accountable for their actions.
Summary
Brooklyn, New York is the base of many companies that used asbestos in their work for decades. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, be sure to contact an experienced asbestos cancer attorney in New York today.