Brooklyn Area Exposure Map
Documented Exposure Sites
| # | Facility | Industry | Active Period | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brooklyn Navy Yard (NYC Naval Shipyard) | Naval Shipbuilding & Repair | 1801–1966 | Critical |
| 2 | Todd Shipyards (Brooklyn) | Ship Repair & Overhaul | 1916–1988 | Critical |
| 3 | Columbia Asbestos Products | Asbestos Manufacturing | 1920–1972 | Critical |
| 4 | Consolidated Edison Brooklyn Plants | Electric Power Generation | 1900–1985 | High |
| 5 | Brooklyn Army Terminal | Military Logistics & Warehousing | 1918–1980 | High |
| 6 | Red Hook Container Terminal | Maritime / Longshoremen | 1945–present | Moderate |
Brooklyn Navy Yard: The Heart of New York Mesothelioma Litigation
The Brooklyn Navy Yard operated as an active U.S. Navy shipbuilding and repair facility from 1801 through 1966. At its World War II peak, over 70,000 civilian workers and military personnel worked around the clock building battleships, aircraft carriers, and destroyers. Every vessel built at the yard was insulated with asbestos — on steam pipes, boiler rooms, engine rooms, and interior bulkheads. Pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, welders, and shipfitters accumulated heavy asbestos exposure. Even workers in adjacent trades — electricians, painters, carpenters — breathed asbestos dust that settled throughout the yard.
The Navy Yard closed in 1966 and was converted to industrial use, but the exposure legacy has produced thousands of mesothelioma diagnoses in Brooklyn and across the New York metropolitan area. Trust fund claims against the manufacturers of Navy Yard insulation products (including Owens Corning, Pittsburgh Corning, and Armstrong World Industries) remain available through the relevant bankruptcy trusts.
Frequently Asked Questions
NYCAL (NYC Asbestos Litigation) is a specialized court docket in New York County (Manhattan) Supreme Court that consolidates asbestos and mesothelioma cases from throughout the New York metropolitan area, including Brooklyn. NYCAL has established case management procedures specifically designed to move mesothelioma cases forward quickly given the terminal nature of the disease. Brooklyn Navy Yard cases, Con Edison cases, and other New York City asbestos claims are routinely handled through the NYCAL docket. New York’s 3-year statute of limitations (CPLR §214-c) for personal injury gives claimants somewhat more time than many states, but the practical advice is to contact an attorney immediately after diagnosis.
Yes — the Brooklyn Navy Yard is one of the most extensively documented sources of mesothelioma in the United States. Asbestos exposure at the yard was pervasive from the 1930s through the mid-1960s, and the 20–50 year latency period for mesothelioma means diagnoses from Brooklyn Navy Yard exposure are still occurring today. Both civilian shipyard workers and Navy veterans who served at the yard may qualify for compensation through lawsuits, asbestos trust fund claims, and (for veterans) VA disability benefits.