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Great Lakes Naval Training Center

Great Lakes Naval Training Center

Great Lakes Naval Training Center Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Illinois, is the Navy's only boot camp and one of the largest military training installations in the world. The barracks, classrooms, mess halls, and central heating plants built during its massive expansion used asbestos throughout — exposing both the recruits who cycled through and the permanent staff who worked in those buildings for years.

Last verified: 2026-06-28
Legal & editorial
Written by Paul Danziger, J.D. · Edited by Rod De Llano, J.D. · Legally reviewed by Michelle Whitman (affiliated firm)
Editorial Policy & Advisory Board
Location
North Chicago, IL
Industry
Military Installation
Exposure Era
1940s–1980s
Primary Asbestos Products
Block & blanket pipe and boiler insulation, Asbestos floor tiles and ceiling materials, Pipe covering and lagging, Boiler-room insulation in central heating plants, Sprayed fireproofing and refractory cement, Gaskets and valve packing in plant machinery
Job Categories at Risk
Navy recruits in training, Company commanders and instructors, Boiler plant operators, Pipefitters, Building maintenance workers, Facility engineers, Steam and heating-plant technicians, Hull Maintenance Technicians (HT), Machinist's Mates (MM), Electricians

History & Asbestos Use

Established in 1911, Naval Station Great Lakes trained more than a million sailors during World War II alone. The large construction programs of the 1940s used asbestos extensively in barracks, classrooms, mess halls, and the central heating plants that warmed the lakefront installation. Asbestos pipe covering, boiler lagging, floor tiles, and fireproofing remained in routine use until federal exposure limits tightened in the late 1970s and abatement programs began. Because recruits typically spent 8 to 12 weeks in training, their exposure was brief compared with permanent staff, but it was cumulative for those who returned for advanced schools or repeat tours.

Exposure Details

Recruits lived in barracks and trained in buildings containing asbestos floor tiles, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation, where deteriorating or disturbed material released fiber into the air they breathed. Permanent staff — instructors, maintenance workers, and engineers — spent years in those same buildings with far longer, repeated exposure. The heaviest exposure fell on boiler plant operators, pipefitters, and maintenance crews who cut, removed, and replaced asbestos lagging on the steam and heating systems; tearing out aged, friable insulation releases far more airborne fiber than installing it new, and much of that work happened in tight, poorly ventilated boiler rooms. Fibers also settled on work clothes and rode home to families.

Workers at Risk

The following job categories at Great Lakes Naval Training Center had the highest risk of asbestos exposure:

  • Navy recruits in training
  • Company commanders and instructors
  • Boiler plant operators
  • Pipefitters
  • Building maintenance workers
  • Facility engineers
  • Steam and heating-plant technicians
  • Hull Maintenance Technicians (HT)
  • Machinist's Mates (MM)
  • Electricians

Health Effects

Both recruits who passed through Great Lakes and the permanent personnel stationed there have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis. Maintenance workers and boiler plant operators who handled asbestos insulation directly faced the highest risks, but even relatively short boot-camp exposure adds to a person's cumulative lifetime fiber burden. Because these diseases typically appear 20 to 50 years after first exposure, veterans and civilian staff are still being diagnosed today. A diagnosis is not the worker's fault: the manufacturers that supplied asbestos to the installation knew the hazards, and many have since funded trust funds to compensate those harmed.

Health information is based on established medical research on asbestos exposure. Asbestos is classified as a known human carcinogen by the National Cancer Institute, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Consult a physician for medical advice specific to your situation.

Compensation May Be Available

Workers exposed to asbestos at Great Lakes Naval Training Center may be entitled to compensation through asbestos trust funds, personal injury lawsuits, or veterans benefits. Mesothelioma patients and their families have recovered billions in compensation from companies that manufactured or used asbestos products.

2 asbestos trust funds have been identified as potentially related to exposure at this site. Many mesothelioma patients qualify to file claims with multiple trusts simultaneously.

Find Out If You Qualify

Were You Exposed to Asbestos at Great Lakes Naval Training Center?

Workers who were employed at Great Lakes Naval Training Center between 1940s–1980s may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials. If you've been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis, you may have legal options including trust fund claims and lawsuits.

Speak with an Attorney — Free Request a Free Case Evaluation

Related Asbestos Trust Funds

Workers exposed to asbestos at Great Lakes Naval Training Center may be eligible to file claims with the following trust funds:

Related Exposure Sites

Military

Naval Station San Diego

San Diego, CA
Military

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

Honolulu, HI

Treatment Centers in Illinois

If you were exposed to asbestos at Great Lakes Naval Training Center and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, these specialized treatment centers in Illinois may be able to help.

University of Chicago Medicine

University of Chicago Medicine

Chicago, IL

Comprehensive Cancer Center
View Full Profile
Northwestern Medicine (Lurie Cancer Center)

Northwestern Medicine (Lurie Cancer Center)

Chicago, IL

Comprehensive Cancer Center
View Full Profile
Loyola Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center

Loyola Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center

Maywood, IL

View Full Profile
Rush University Medical Center

Rush University Medical Center

Chicago, IL

View Full Profile

Browse all treatment centers →

Frequently Asked Questions

Was asbestos used at Great Lakes Naval Training Center?

Yes. Asbestos was a standard building material at Naval Station Great Lakes for decades — pipe and boiler insulation, floor tiles, ceiling materials, fireproofing, and lagging on the central heating plants all contained asbestos, remaining in routine use until federal exposure limits tightened in the late 1970s.

What asbestos products were used at Great Lakes Naval Training Center?

Block and blanket insulation on pipes and boilers; asbestos floor tiles and ceiling materials; pipe covering and lagging; boiler-room insulation in the central heating plants; sprayed fireproofing and refractory cement; and gaskets and valve packing in plant machinery. Maintenance and boiler crews handled the raw material, but the dust exposed recruits and staff in the same buildings.

Which jobs or ratings at Great Lakes had the highest asbestos exposure?

Boiler plant operators, pipefitters, and building maintenance workers who directly cut and removed asbestos insulation faced the highest exposure, along with Hull Maintenance Technicians, Machinist's Mates, and steam-plant technicians. Instructors, company commanders, and recruits living and training in older asbestos-built barracks were also exposed.

Why was asbestos at Great Lakes hazardous even for short-term recruits?

Recruits lived and trained in buildings with deteriorating asbestos floor tiles, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation. There is no proven safe level of asbestos exposure — even weeks of breathing fiber from damaged material adds to a person's lifetime burden, especially when combined with other exposures over a career or lifetime.

Could family members of Great Lakes staff be exposed to asbestos?

Yes. Fibers settled on the clothing, hair, and tools of maintenance and boiler-plant workers and were carried home, where spouses and children could inhale them while greeting workers or laundering work clothes. This take-home (secondary) exposure has caused mesothelioma in family members who never set foot on the base.

How long after serving at Great Lakes can mesothelioma appear?

Mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases usually develop 20 to 50 years after first exposure, which is why veterans who trained or served at Great Lakes decades ago — and even their family members — are still being diagnosed today.

Can Great Lakes veterans, staff, or families file an asbestos claim?

Often, yes. Veterans and civilian workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis — and the families of those who have died — may be eligible for compensation through VA disability benefits, asbestos trust funds, and claims against the manufacturers whose products were used at the installation. Eligibility and deadlines depend on the diagnosis and state, so a no-cost review by a mesothelioma attorney is worthwhile.

I worked here but I have no employment records. Does that end it?

No. Missing paperwork is normal after this long, and it is not what decides a claim. A Social Security earnings statement lists every employer you had, by year, and can usually be requested directly. Union records, W-2s and a DD-214 for military service do similar work. Coworkers who were there can also confirm conditions. What matters most is what you remember, written down in your own words.

My father or husband worked here and has since died. Can the family still file?

Yes. A wrongful death claim can be brought by the estate or eligible family members, and it is a separate route from a claim the patient would have brought themselves. It also runs on a different clock: the deadline generally starts at the date of death rather than the date of diagnosis, which means families are sometimes still in time when they assume they are not. Deadlines are set by each state, so confirm the one that applies to yours.

I never worked here, but a family member did. Could I have been exposed?

Possibly. Asbestos fibres travelled home on work clothes, in hair and in vehicles, and household members were exposed while washing laundry or greeting someone at the end of a shift. This is called secondhand or take-home exposure and it is a recognised route to a claim in its own right, not an exception. If you are documenting a family member's work history, write down your own contact with their work clothing as well.

Did you work at Great Lakes Naval Training Center? Write this down now

You do not need a lawyer, a diagnosis, or a decision to do this. You need a piece of paper. Memory is the part of a claim nobody else can reconstruct for you, and it is the part that fades.

  • The years you worked there — approximate is fine, and a range is fine
  • Your trade or job title, and what you actually did day to day
  • Which building, unit, ship or area you spent your time in
  • Who else was there — names of crew, foremen, or anyone who could confirm it later
  • Anything you remember about the materials — write what you recall on your own, before looking anything up. Details you remember unprompted are the ones that hold up years later when you are asked under oath. Details you read on a website do not.

If you are doing this for a relative who has died, write down what you remember too, including work clothes brought home to be washed. Household exposure is a real claim, not an edge case.

Worked at Great Lakes Naval Training Center? Tell us the years and your trade

That is usually enough to work out which claims are open to you — trust funds, a lawsuit, or VA benefits if the exposure happened in service. You do not need records, dates you are certain of, or the name of a product. If you are asking on behalf of someone who has died, a family member can file and the deadline runs differently. No cost, no obligation, and no pressure to decide anything today.

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Sources:

  • Navy historical records — accessed 2026-06-28
  • Department of Defense Environmental Restoration Program — accessed 2026-06-28
  • Illinois EPA records — accessed 2026-06-28
← All Exposure Sites in Illinois ← All Exposure Sites
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