Mesothelioma & Asbestos Exposure in San Diego, California

Sources of Asbestos Exposure in San Diego

San Diego's asbestos exposure history is dominated by its military and shipbuilding industries. The following facilities represent the most significant sources of asbestos exposure in the San Diego metropolitan area.

Naval Station San Diego

Naval Station San Diego is the largest naval base in the world, homeporting more than 50 ships and serving as the principal home port for the Pacific Fleet's surface combatants. Asbestos was used extensively in ship insulation, boiler rooms, engine rooms, pipe lagging, and gaskets throughout the fleet. Sailors who served aboard ships homeported at Naval Station San Diego were exposed to asbestos during routine maintenance, overhauls, and daily operations. The base itself also contained asbestos in buildings, power distribution systems, and steam pipe networks.

NASSCO / National Steel & Shipbuilding Company

NASSCO is one of the largest shipyards on the West Coast and has been building and repairing both military and commercial vessels in San Diego since 1960. Workers at NASSCO were exposed to asbestos during ship construction, repair, and dry-dock operations. Welders, pipefitters, insulators, electricians, and general laborers at NASSCO handled or worked near asbestos-containing materials including pipe insulation, boiler lagging, gaskets, and fireproofing products. According to WikiMesothelioma.com, shipyard workers across the West Coast faced some of the highest occupational asbestos exposure levels of any industry.

Naval Air Station North Island (NAS North Island)

NAS North Island, located on the Coronado peninsula, is the home of Naval Air Forces Pacific and the hub of West Coast naval aviation. Aircraft maintenance, engine overhaul, and aerospace repair operations at NAS North Island involved significant asbestos exposure. Asbestos was used in aircraft brake systems, heat shields, engine gaskets, and maintenance facility insulation. Aviation mechanics, maintenance crews, and support personnel stationed at North Island were routinely exposed to asbestos fibers.

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton, located just north of San Diego, is one of the busiest military bases in the country and the major West Coast base for the United States Marine Corps. Asbestos was used in base buildings, barracks, mess halls, vehicle maintenance facilities, and utility systems across the installation. Marines and civilian personnel who worked in construction, maintenance, vehicle repair, and facilities management at Camp Pendleton were exposed to asbestos-containing materials.

Convair / General Dynamics Aerospace

General Dynamics' Convair division operated major aerospace manufacturing facilities in San Diego for decades, producing military aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft components. Asbestos was used in aircraft insulation, heat shields, brake systems, and manufacturing facility infrastructure. Aerospace workers, machinists, and assembly line employees at Convair were exposed to asbestos throughout the manufacturing and testing process.

San Diego Gas & Electric

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) operated power generation facilities throughout the San Diego area that used asbestos extensively in boiler insulation, pipe lagging, turbine packing, and electrical systems. Power plant workers, electricians, and maintenance personnel at SDG&E facilities were exposed to asbestos during routine operations, equipment maintenance, and plant construction.

General Dynamics NASSCO

In addition to its shipbuilding operations, General Dynamics NASSCO has provided ship repair and conversion services for the U.S. Navy and commercial clients. These operations involved removing and replacing asbestos-containing materials during ship modernization and overhaul projects, exposing workers to concentrated asbestos fibers in confined shipboard spaces.

Mesothelioma in San Diego Veterans & Workers

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the mesothelial lining, most commonly affecting the lungs (pleural mesothelioma) but also the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma). It is caused almost exclusively by inhaling or ingesting microscopic asbestos fibers. For San Diego's veteran and shipyard worker population, the exposure pathways were numerous and often unavoidable.

How Asbestos Exposure Happened in San Diego

Aboard Navy ships homeported at Naval Station San Diego, asbestos was used in virtually every compartment. Engine rooms, boiler rooms, turbine spaces, and pipe chases throughout the ship contained asbestos insulation that degraded over time and released fibers into the enclosed air. Sailors who lived and worked in these spaces for months or years at a time inhaled asbestos fibers daily. The confined nature of shipboard spaces meant that asbestos concentrations could reach extremely high levels, particularly during maintenance operations, overhauls, and battle damage repairs.

At NASSCO and other San Diego shipyards, workers cut, shaped, installed, and removed asbestos-containing materials during ship construction and repair. These operations generated clouds of asbestos dust in the work area. Without adequate respiratory protection — which was rarely provided before the 1980s — every worker in the vicinity was exposed.

At aerospace facilities like Convair/General Dynamics and NAS North Island, asbestos was present in aircraft components, manufacturing processes, and building materials. The maintenance and testing of jet engines, the replacement of brake pads, and the repair of heat shields all involved disturbing asbestos-containing materials.

Latency Period and Diagnosis

Mesothelioma typically develops 20 to 50 years after the initial asbestos exposure. A sailor stationed at Naval Station San Diego in the 1960s or 1970s may only now be developing symptoms. A NASSCO welder from the 1980s may not receive a diagnosis until the 2030s. This long latency period means that San Diego's mesothelioma crisis is ongoing. If you served or worked in San Diego decades ago and have developed respiratory symptoms, persistent chest pain, shortness of breath, or unexplained weight loss, see your doctor and mention your asbestos exposure history. Early detection matters. Learn more about mesothelioma diagnosis and types.

Mesothelioma Treatment Centers Near San Diego, California

Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma in the San Diego area have access to some of the region’s leading cancer treatment facilities. These centers offer specialized thoracic oncology programs, access to clinical trials, and multidisciplinary care teams experienced in treating asbestos-related cancers. Early evaluation at a specialized center can significantly improve treatment outcomes.

Military Families & Secondary Exposure

Mesothelioma does not only affect the service members and workers who were directly exposed to asbestos. In San Diego, thousands of military families lived in base housing or nearby communities where secondary (take-home) asbestos exposure occurred daily.

When Navy sailors returned from duty aboard ships or NASSCO workers came home from the shipyard, asbestos fibers were embedded in their uniforms, hair, skin, and work boots. Family members who hugged their loved ones, laundered their contaminated work clothes, or simply lived in the same home were exposed to these fibers. Children who sat on their father's lap after a shift or played with work clothing were particularly vulnerable.

Secondary asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to mesothelioma. Studies have documented cases of mesothelioma in the spouses and children of shipyard workers and Navy personnel who never set foot inside a shipyard or aboard a ship themselves. In San Diego's military community, where generations of families lived in close quarters near naval installations, this secondary exposure pathway affected an unknown but potentially significant number of people.

If you are the spouse, child, or other family member of someone who worked at Naval Station San Diego, NASSCO, NAS North Island, Camp Pendleton, or any other San Diego military or industrial facility, and you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may have a legal claim. Our attorneys have represented family members in secondary exposure cases and understand the specific evidence needed to establish these claims.

Support Groups & Resources for San Diego Families

A mesothelioma diagnosis affects the entire family. These organizations provide support, education, counseling, and practical assistance for patients and caregivers.

National Organizations

California Resources