And then there is the asbestos. Last summer, the Navy spent $2 million to paint and refurbish the Shipyard’s landmark Building 460, an asbestos-clad structure built in 1941 to repair battleships during WWII. Paint won’t fix the damage, however, for the thousands of servicemen and women and civilian employees exposed to asbestos while working at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard during WWII and since. For far too many of these individuals, their service to their country led to the development of asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, a rare cancer virtually always caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma most commonly attacks the lining of the lungs, though it may also appear in the lining of other organs, including the stomach and heart. Most workers who were exposed will not develop the disease, but those who do will not experience symptoms for decades after their first exposure. By that time, the cancer is in its final stages. Mesothelioma is always fatal.

Prior to the 1980s, asbestos insulation was commonly used throughout ships – for insulating steam and hot water pipes and fittings, fireproofing doors and even for muffling sound between decks. For decades, it was nearly impossible not to be exposed to asbestos on board Naval vessels. Asbestos covered the pipes running throughout the ship, even pipes that ran just inches above bunks in the sailors’ sleeping quarters. Navy personnel with the greatest risk for significant exposure were those who worked without ventilation in the ships’ fire and engine rooms where insulation and refractory products were necessary. These personnel included a number of occupations, such as boilermen, enginemen, firemen, machinist mates, shipfitters, pipefitters, electrician’s mates and seabees, who performed military construction.

Conditions were no better for shipyard workers who were also exposed when the vessels came in for overhaul. Workers toiled for months on end stripping away old asbestos and then re-applying new asbestos insulation on pipes, engines, boilers, pumps, valves and other equipment. Statistically, working in an American shipyard during WWII was almost as dangerous as fighting in the war. While the combat death rate was around eighteen per thousand service members, fourteen shipyard workers of every thousand died from asbestos-related cancer. And this figure does not include workers who died from asbestosis or related complications. Nor does it include the workers’ family members who were exposed to the asbestos the men brought home on their clothing. In a 1984 medical study of Norfolk Naval Shipyard workers in Virginia, 79 percent of workers showed signs of lung abnormalities caused by asbestos exposure and 8 to 9 percent of the workers’ wives demonstrated similar abnormalities.

As lawyers who have represented hundreds of Puget Sound families devastated by mesothelioma and the asbestos that caused it, we are continually amazed that this tragedy did not have to happen. Since at least the 1930s, the manufacturers of the asbestos products used on the ships docked at PSNS knew their products were dangerous and yet they did nothing. The asbestos manufacturers didn’t test their products to see if they could be safely used; they didn’t protect their own factory employees who manufactured the products; and they they didn’t warn the workers at PSNS who used the products. They were too busy making money to care.

That attitude is the maddening part. Whether it’s mortgage brokers selling bad loans, Toyota selling bad brakes, or asbestos manufacturers selling dangerous insulation, corporations must be made to care about more than making money. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, with all the welcome prosperity it has brought to our region, is another lesson in that.

Hazardous materials removal workers are also referred to as abatement, decontamination or remediation specialists. The workers identify, remove, contain, transport and dispose of asbestos, as well as arsenic, lead, mercury and radioactive and nuclear waste. And unlike the workers who installed the dangerous asbestos products without knowledge of its hazards, today’s hazardous materials removal workers are trained to protect themselves from the dangers with on-the-job training as required by federal, state and local government standards.

For more information, go to http://blog.marketplace.nwsource.com/careercenter/hazardous_materials_removal_workers_are_essential_in_keeping_our_environment_safe.html?cmpid=2694.

Because of the danger, asbestos products should always be removed by a professional and disposed of as hazardous waste, in accordance with local, state and federal laws and regulations.

For more information, go to http://www.myballard.com/2010/01/19/sunset-bowl-to-come-down-today/.v

On the Wednesday before the Martin Luther King Day holiday, all visitation at the prison was suspended when a prison employee discovered asbestos containing ceiling-insulation that had fallen to the floor of a mechanical room located next to the visiting room. Prison officials were concerned that asbestos fibers could be blown into the visitation area because the prison’s ventilation system, which supplies heat to the visiting room, is located in the mechanical room where the asbestos was found. Asbestos testing results from one of the two prison offices also serviced by the ventilation system showed slightly elevated levels of asbestos. Further testing will be done there, while asbestos abatement work will begin in the mechanical room where the presence of asbestos was confirmed. In the meantime, the ventilation system has been shut down. As a result, visitors to the prison will receive a chilly reception given the lack of heat.

Many state buildings in Oregon built prior to the 1980s are contaminated with asbestos. After conducting surveys, Oregon has identified which buildings contain the hazardous substance. The asbestos industry has known for decades that asbestos is dangerous. Still, manufacturers used the fiber in more than 3,000 products, including pipe insulation, kitchen and bathroom flooring and ceiling tiles. Many manufacturers refused to remove the substance from their products until the government required it.

Old asbestos products installed in a structure are particularly dangerous when they are disturbed. Asbestos fibers within the products can become airborne during demolition, or because of decay or water damage. Once released into the air, the fibers may be inhaled and cause long-term health problems, including mesothelioma and lung cancer.

For more information, go to http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100115/NEWS/1150343/1001.

Mr. Landon was born in Aberdeen, Washington and graduated from Bremerton High School in 1942. During the war, Mr. Landon joined the U.S. Merchant Marines, where he worked in the engine rooms of Victory ships, tankers, and C-2 cargo ships in the Pacific arena. The engine rooms were often contaminated with asbestos, which was used to line pipes in the area and insulate much of the equipment housed within the tight confines of the rooms. Mr. Landon and his wife of 63 years, Audrey, owned and operated Landon Fuel, located in Seattle. The couple loved to travel and Mr. Landon was very active in the Kiwanis Club.

Mr. Landon is survived by his wife, a daughter, son and 4 grandchildren.

On Saturday, January 30th at 11 a.m. at the Belfair Baptist Church, a Service of Remembrance will be held .

For more information, go to http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jan/14/robert-warren-landon-86/ .

For more information, go to http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/24326099-46/clinic-eugene-site-springfield-building.csp.

On December 14, 2009, the motel was raided by Yakima city officials along with agents from the Regional Clean Air Agency and the Yakima Health District. Asbestos was found in a 30-unit, two-story structure of the motel, which was then shuttered and closed, pending extensive renovation to remove the asbestos. The danger posed by asbestos during renovations is a serious one. When old asbestos fibers are dislodged or disturbed, they are released into the air, where they can be breathed in by workers or those living nearby. The City cannot force the motel owner to remodel the motel. But if the contaminated structure sits vacant for an extended period, Yakima officials can enforce city nuisance ordinances governing abandoned structures.

For more information, go to http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/12/29/city-not-likely-to-close-tourist-motel.

Asbestos is particularly dangerous when it is disturbed during demolition procedures like those allegedly conducted in Sweet Home. When old asbestos products are dislodged, tiny asbestos particles become airborne so that they are easily inhaled and lodged in the lungs. Over a period of time, the fibers can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a painful form of cancer that is nearly always linked to asbestos exposure.

For more information, go to http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2684648/.

Asbestos-containing construction debris is especially dangerous because asbestos fibers are easily released when old building products are disturbed during the remodel or demolition of a building. When asbestos fibers are inhaled in th lungs, they may become embedded there, eventually causing mesothelioma or lung cancer many decades later. This is why strict precautions must always be taken when removing old asbestos building products.

For additional information, go to http://www.cdrecycler.com/articles/article.asp?MagID=2&ID=5287&IssueID=260.

The problem for mesothelioma patients who receive just chemotherapy is that the cancer returns, after a short-term benefit. With the new radiotherapy, however, the tumor doesn’t seem to return in the same area and may be stopped from further progression. In the pilot program at the Austin Health Center, thirteen patients were involved. Most had had surgery prior to the radiotherapy. Dr. Feigen reports that the radiotherapy gave the patients on average an additional two years to live. Some patients lived even longer before the cancer returned to a place in the body that made further radiotherapy impossible.

Dr. Feigen is hopeful that other cancer treatment facilities will take part in further research.

For additional information, go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/13/2741830.htm.