Pascagoula Exposure Map
Documented Exposure Sites
| # | Facility | Area | Industry | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ingalls Shipbuilding / Litton Industries (Huntington Ingalls) | Pascagoula | Naval Shipbuilding | Critical |
| 2 | Chevron Pascagoula Refinery | Pascagoula | Petroleum Refining | High |
| 3 | Mississippi Chemical Corporation | Pascagoula / Yazoo City | Chemical / Fertilizer | High |
| 4 | Singing River Electric (Power Plant) | Pascagoula | Power Generation | Moderate |
| 5 | Kerr-McGee Chemical (Moss Point) | Moss Point | Chemical Manufacturing | High |
| 6 | Gulf States Paper (Moss Point) | Moss Point | Paper / Pulp | Moderate |
Ingalls Shipbuilding: The Gulf Coast’s Naval Powerhouse
Ingalls Shipbuilding was founded in Pascagoula in 1938 and grew rapidly during World War II to become one of the most productive shipyards on the Gulf Coast. During the Cold War, Ingalls — acquired by Litton Industries in 1961 — built Spruance-class destroyers, Ticonderoga-class cruisers, and the massive Wasp-class and America-class amphibious assault ships that form the backbone of the Navy’s amphibious fleet today.
Building naval vessels required asbestos throughout: miles of asbestos-insulated steam piping, asbestos boiler lagging in engine rooms, asbestos-packed valve stems, asbestos gaskets in mechanical systems, and asbestos fireproofing in berthing, cargo, and machinery spaces. Workers who installed this insulation — particularly pipefitters, boilermakers, and sheet metal workers — received decades of concentrated exposure.
Ingalls continues to operate as Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division, making Pascagoula still an active shipbuilding community. Workers from earlier eras who built vessels in the 1950s through 1980s are now reaching the age when mesothelioma symptoms typically present.
Yes — significantly. Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula used asbestos throughout naval vessel construction from the 1940s through the mid-1970s. Pipefitters, boilermakers, insulators, and sheet metal workers had the highest exposures, but contamination was shipyard-wide. Mississippi’s 3-year statute of limitations (Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49) begins on the date of confirmed mesothelioma diagnosis under the discovery rule.