Newport News Exposure Map
Documented Exposure Sites
| # | Facility | Area | Industry | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. (Huntington Ingalls) | Downtown Newport News | Naval Shipbuilding | Critical |
| 2 | Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Shops (C&O) | Newport News | Railroad Maintenance | High |
| 3 | American Locomotive Works (Alco) | Newport News | Locomotive Manufacturing | High |
| 4 | Newport News Power Plant (Virginia Power) | Newport News | Power Generation | Moderate |
| 5 | Connors Steel (Newport News) | Newport News | Steel Fabrication | Moderate |
| 6 | Continental Can Company | Newport News | Manufacturing | Moderate |
Newport News Shipbuilding: A Century of Asbestos
Founded in 1886, Newport News Shipbuilding has built every nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the US Navy fleet, along with submarines, cruisers, and destroyers. Throughout the mid-20th century, every ship required miles of asbestos-insulated piping, asbestos-lined boiler rooms, and asbestos fireproofing throughout the hull. Workers in confined engine rooms and boiler rooms were exposed to asbestos dust at levels far exceeding today’s safety standards.
Trades most heavily affected include pipefitters, boilermakers, insulators (laggers), sheet metal workers, and electricians. However, shipyard-wide contamination meant that virtually any worker at the facility — including laborers, painters, and riggers — was exposed to asbestos fibers that settled throughout the yards and vessels.
The shipyard is still active today under Huntington Ingalls Industries. Former workers who built vessels in the 1940s through the 1980s are the primary population at risk for mesothelioma from Newport News exposure.
Yes — extensively. Newport News Shipbuilding used asbestos throughout the construction of naval vessels from the 1930s through the mid-1970s. Asbestos was present in pipe insulation, boiler lagging, gaskets, packing, deck tiles, and bulkhead insulation. Workers in confined spaces like engine rooms and boiler rooms faced the highest exposure levels. Virginia’s 2-year statute of limitations (Va. Code § 8.01-249) runs from the date of mesothelioma diagnosis.