Mobile, Alabama is a historic port city and the third-most-populous city in the state. Mobile is known for its shipbuilding history, particularly during World War II. Asbestos was frequently used throughout ships for fireproofing, heat resistance, strength and insulation. As a result, the shipbuilding industry exposed many Mobile workers to asbestos. If exposed, individuals could develop an asbestos illness, such as mesothelioma.
01. Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos Exposure in Mobile, Alabama
Asbestos use in Mobile, Alabama occurred between 1930 and 1980. Most asbestos exposure occurred from the 1960s to the early 1980s. During this timeframe, asbestos reached the height of its use across the United States.
In Mobile, asbestos was primarily used on ships. Asbestos products were also present in paper mills, cotton mills, military bases and other work sites. Chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite asbestos are the most common types of asbestos used in Mobile. If asbestos-containing materials face damage or wear and tear, asbestos fibers become airborne. Airborne fibers can then be inhaled or ingested, leading to harmful health effects.
Shipbuilding and Asbestos Exposure in Mobile, Alabama
Ship production was a large focus in Mobile, Alabama. The coastal city is known for military shipbuilding during World War I and World War II. Historians note shipbuilding was crucial to Mobile’s economy throughout the world wars.
Shipbuilding and ship maintenance employed many in Mobile. Trades within the industry include:
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Electricians
- Engineers
- Foremen
- General laborers
- Insulators
- Machinists
- Plumbers and pipefitters
- Riggers
- Structural fabricators
- Welders and solderers
Individuals working in any of these trades could have been exposed to asbestos. Ships, shipyards and docks incorporated various asbestos products throughout their construction. If exposed, workers risk asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and other asbestos illnesses.
Navy veterans also risked exposure from ships and shipyards in Mobile. Asbestos was used throughout living quarters, mess halls and other areas of the ships. Some veterans report asbestos dust falling from the ceilings during battle.
Alabama Drydock and Shipping Company and Asbestos
One of the most well-known shipyards in the country was the Alabama Drydock and Shipping Company (ADDSCO), located in Mobile. ADDSCO became Alabama’s largest employer. It was also one of the largest employers in the southern United States.
Many ADDSCO employees faced the risk of asbestos exposure. Most exposure occurred when building, repairing and refitting vessels. Vessels were often refitted instead of constructing new ships with safer asbestos alternatives.
Numerous ADDSCO employees have filed lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers, including Johns Manville. These manufacturers produced the materials that led to exposure. Many instances of exposure occurred during and immediately after World War II. Asbestos products were torn out and replaced, releasing large amounts of asbestos fibers into the air.
The USS Alabama and Asbestos
The USS Alabama (BB-60) battleship was built in 1940 and launched in 1942. The World War II-era ship housed 2,500 American crew members. Many battleships were later retired and scrapped. However, residents of Alabama pushed for BB-60’s preservation. In 1965, the battleship anchored in Mobile and opened to the public, creating the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.
The USS Alabama may have had asbestos in the walls, roofing, flooring and other construction materials, such as insulation. Asbestos was also likely present in the engine room and boiler room. Individuals involved in the construction or repairs of the USS Alabama may have been exposed to asbestos.
Other Mobile, Alabama Asbestos Exposure Sites
Numerous other jobsites in Mobile, Alabama used asbestos. This includes mills, plants and other production settings. Asbestos was a common component in heavy machinery and equipment facing high heat.
Mobile, Alabama Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred
- Abiqua (Ship)
- Ace Fabrication, Inc.
- Ackia (Ship)
- Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company (ADDSCO)
- Alabama Power
- Alabama State Docks
- Alabama State Port Authority
- Alexander H. Stephens (Ship)
- Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa)
- American Cyanamid Company
- American Laundry Company
- Amison General Builders & Contractors
- Anco Products, Inc.
- Apache Canyon (Ship)
- Archers Hope (Ship)
- Arthur Middleton (Ship)
- Ascension Providence Hospital
- Ash Hollow (Ship)
- Atlantic Land Companies
- Atlas Industrial Outsourcing
- Auxiliary Pumping Plant
- Avondale Shipyard
- Barry Steam Plant
- Beaver Dam (Ship)
- Beecher Island (Ship)
- Bemis Company, Inc.
- Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co.
- Bendix Corporation
- Betbeze Spring Service
- Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipyard
- Birch Coulie (Ship)
- Black River (Ship)
- Brookley Air Force Base
- Brookley Industrial Park
- Brown and Root Industrial Services
- Buffalo Wallow (Ship)
- Cabusto (Ship)
- Cahawba (Ship)
- Callabee (Ship)
- Camas Meadows (Ship)
- Camp Defiance (Ship)
- Canyon Creek (Ship)
- Caribbean Steamship Company
- Cayuse (Ship)
- Cedar Mills (Ship)
- Champion International
- Chatterton Hill (Ship)
- Chicaca (Ship)
- Chickasaw Steam Plant
- Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corporation
- Clark Mills (Ship)
- Coastal Chemical
- Coca-Cola Bottling Company
- Colin P. Kelly, Jr. (Ship)
- Container Corporation of America (CCA)
- Cottonwood Creek (Ship)
- Council Grove (Ship)
- Courtaulds, Inc. (Alabama)
- Crichton Fire Station
- Crow Wing (Ship)
- Diamond Shamrock Refining and Marketing
- Diamondhead Manufacturing, Inc.
- Dobytown (Ship)
- Doctors Hospital of Mobile
- Doran-Alabama Propeller Company
- El Caney (Ship)
- Electric Lighting Company of Mobile
- Evans Creek (Ship)
- Fidelity Warehouse Corporation
- First National Bank Building
- Fort Bridger (Ship)
- Fort Fetterman (Ship)
- Fort Laramie (Ship)
- Fort Mims (Ship)
- Fort Pitt (Ship)
- Fort Ridgely (Ship)
- Fort Robinson (Ship)
- Fort Stevens (Ship)
- Four Lakes (Ship)
- GAF Corporation
- General Electric Company (GE)
- Gold Creek (Ship)
- Golden Hill (Ship)
- Grand River (Ship)
- Gulf Development, Inc.
- Gulf Lumber Company
- Gulf Power Company
- Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation
- Gulf States Paper Company
- Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
- Haas-Davis Fine Meats, Inc.
- Hammermill Paper Company
- Hat Creek (Ship)
- Henry Clay (Ship)
- Hercules (Ship)
- Hollingsworth & Whitney Company
- Home Industry Iron Works
- Honningsvaag (Ship)
- Horseshoe (Ship)
- Houston Compress Company
- Ideal Cement Company
- Independent Gulf Line
- Insulation Engineers, Inc.
- International Paper Company
- International Paper Company Mills
- Ironworkers Union
- Israel Putnam (Ship)
- J. L. M. Curry (Ship)
- James Hoban (Ship)
- Jefferson Davis (Ship)
- Joel Chandler Harris (Ship)
- John Marshall (Ship)
- John’s Bargain Stores
- Joseph Wheeler (Ship)
- Judah P. Benjamin (Ship)
- Julesburg (Ship)
- Kaposia (Ship)
- Kathio (Ship)
- Keller-Smith Supply, Inc.
- Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation
- Larkspur (Lighthouse Tender)
- Lawton B. Evans (Ship)
- Leftwich LLC
- Linde Air Products Company
- Little Big Horn (Ship)
- Little Butte (Ship)
- Lyster Army Health Clinic
- Magnolia Paper & Janitor Supply
- Marathon Petroleum Corporation
- Marine Specialty Company, Inc.
- McClellan Creek (Ship)
- McWane, Inc.
- Meador Warehouse
- Mobile Area Water and Sewer System
- Mobile Bay (Ship)
- Mobile Electric Light and Power Company
- Mobile Energy Services
- Mobile General Hospital
- Mobile Infirmary Medical Center
- Mobile Light and Railroad Company
- Mobile Mill
- Mobile Public Library
- Mobile Pulley Works
- Mobile Regional Airport
- Mobile Ship Repair Company
- Mobile Shipyard
- Mobile Vehicular Tunnel System
- Moccasin Gap (Ship)
- Moore-McCormack Company
- Nathaniel Macon (Ship)
- National Gypsum Plant
- Nordahl Grieg (Ship)
- North Point (Ship)
- Olin Corporation
- Painters & Allied Trades, Local Union 779
- Palo Duro (Ship)
- Pan American Sea-Shell Products Company
- Pate Stevedore (Ship)
- Paulus Hook (Ship)
- Pawnee Rock (Ship)
- Peerless Steam Laundry & Dyeing Co.
- Phantom Hill (Ship)
- Pine Ridge (Ship)
- Platte Bridge (Ship)
- Pocket Canyon (Ship)
- Powder River (Ship)
- Quaker Hill (Ship)
- Quemado Lake (Ship)
- Ratcliff Construction
- Raton Pass (Ship)
- Red Bank (Ship)
- Red Canyon (Ship)
- Reynolds Metals Company
- Rock Landing (Ship)
- Rogue River (Ship)
- Ruberoid Company
- S.L. Adler Residence
- Sam Joy Laundry, Inc.
- San Juan Hill (Ship)
- Sanders Old Cotton Mill
- Sappa Creek (Ship)
- Scott Paper Company
- Scott Paper Mill
- Seaboard Manufacturing LLC
- Seneca Castle (Ship)
- Shell Chemical
- Shell Chemical LP – Blakeley Island Terminal
- Shook & Fletcher Insulation Company
- Sideling Hill (Ship)
- Simon Willard (Ship)
- Skull Bar (Ship)
- Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation
- South Central Bell Telephone Company
- Southern Compress & Warehouse Company
- Southern Electrical and Pipefitting Corporation
- Southern Kraft Corporation
- Southern Paper Group
- Spirit Lake (Ship)
- St. Regis Paper Mill
- Standard Equipment Company
- Standard Oil
- Stauffer Chemical Company
- Sweetwater (Ship)
- The Cabins (Ship)
- The Cottonwoods (Ship)
- The Floor Trader Gulf Coast
- The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
- Thomas Heyward (Ship)
- Touchet (Ship)
- Tule Canyon (Ship)
- Turner Lumber Company
- Turner Supply Company
- Union Carbide Corporation
- Virginia Chemical & Equipment
- Wagon Box (Ship)
- Wagon Mound (Ship)
- Wahoo Swamp (Ship)
- War Bonnet (Ship)
- Warrant Warehouse Company
- Washita (Ship)
- Waterman Steamship Corporation
- Welders Union
- Western Electric
- White Bird Canyon (Ship)
- White River (Ship)
- Wilson’s Creek (Ship)
- Wolf Mountain (Ship)
- Wood Lake (Ship)
- Wyoming Valley (Ship)
Former workers at these locations may have been exposed to asbestos. Mobile residents living nearby could have also been exposed if asbestos wasn’t handled or disposed of properly.
Asbestos illnesses, including mesothelioma, take years to develop. As a result, individuals in Mobile may begin experiencing symptoms now, years after their exposure.
02. Mesothelioma Risk
Mesothelioma Risk in Mobile, Alabama
Many cases of malignant mesothelioma have been recorded in Mobile, Alabama. Any level of asbestos exposure poses a risk. However, individuals facing high levels of exposure or long-term exposure are most at risk. High-risk occupations include navy veterans, shipbuilders and ship repairmen.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gathers county-based statistics for mesothelioma. From 2012 to 2016, Mobile County recorded 20 mesothelioma diagnoses and 22 mesothelioma deaths.
| Mobile County Mesothelioma Mortality by Age 1999 – 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Age Group | Number of Deaths | Population |
| 65 – 74 years old | 26 | 274,898 |
| 75 – 84 years old | 33 | 137,456 |
| 85+ years old | 12 | 36,908 |
The CDC’s mesothelioma mortality statistics only include men in Mobile, Alabama. Data was suppressed for recorded female mesothelioma deaths.
03. Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma Treatment in Mobile, Alabama
Mesothelioma patients often seek treatment from specialized doctors and cancer centers. Although options are limited in Mobile, patients can seek care in Birmingham, Alabama.
The University of Alabama Hospital is a nationally recognized treatment center. The hospital conducts extensive research to develop improved diagnostic tools and treatment options.
Mesothelioma specialists offer specialized care to patients with an understanding of all treatment options. Dr. Wei is a renowned doctor in Birmingham. He has extensive experience with thoracic surgeries, applicable to pleural mesothelioma.
04. Asbestos Laws
Asbestos Laws in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama does not have asbestos regulations specific to the city. Mobile follows state and federal asbestos regulations. Federal asbestos regulations are largely upheld by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
State regulations in place to manage asbestos include:
- Required notice of planned asbestos demolitions
- Required Asbestos Removal Contractor Certification prior to asbestos handling
- Adherence to the Alabama Air Pollution Control Act
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management manages the state-level asbestos regulations.
05. Asbestos Lawsuits
Asbestos and Mesothelioma Lawsuits in Mobile, Alabama
Individuals exposed to mesothelioma in Mobile may be able to file an asbestos lawsuit. Many claims originating from Mobile involve shipbuilders. Shipbuilding lawsuits typically target asbestos manufacturers responsible for asbestos products used on ships. Navy veterans who utilized the Mobile docks and shipyards may be eligible for veteran assistance. Mobile residents working at other exposure sites may also be eligible to file a claim.
Asbestos victims and loved ones must file a claim within a certain amount of time to ensure eligibility. Deadlines differ for personal injury claims and wrongful death claims.
Asbestos victims and family members should consult with an asbestos law firm. Asbestos lawyers ensure deadlines are met for claimants to qualify for the most compensation possible.
