Mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in Long Beach

Long Beach Naval Shipyard on Terminal Island repaired and overhauled Navy ships from World War II until its closure in the 1990s. Ship repair meant removing and replacing asbestos insulation on boilers, turbines and steam piping, often in confined spaces. During the war, other Terminal Island yards built cargo ships at high speed, employing large numbers of workers who installed asbestos insulation on board. Terminal Island's yards employed workers from across Southern California, many of whom learned their trades on the job. Shipfitters, welders and electricians often worked in the same compartments as insulators, so fibers from one crew's work reached others nearby. Overhauls kept that exposure going for decades after the war.

Long Beach also had a major aircraft factory that built military and commercial planes for decades, where older buildings and some heat-related materials contained asbestos. Refineries in nearby Wilmington and Carson processed crude oil on equipment insulated with asbestos. Longshoremen at the port handled cargo that sometimes included asbestos. Many Long Beach families have ties to more than one of these industries. Union halls in the harbor area sent tradespeople to shipyards, refineries and power plants throughout the region. That means a single Long Beach career could involve many job sites and many different asbestos products. Custodians and engineers in older buildings also faced exposure during boiler and pipe repairs.