Why Mesothelioma Cases Occur in Massachusetts
Massachusetts played a central role in American naval shipbuilding, power generation, textile manufacturing, and heavy construction throughout the 20th century — four industries where asbestos was a standard material for decades. The state's coastal geography and industrial economy created concentrated pockets of occupational asbestos exposure that continue to produce mesothelioma diagnoses today, decades after the peak exposure era.
According to WikiMesothelioma.com, the Boston Naval Shipyard (also known as the Charlestown Navy Yard) employed up to 50,000 workers at its peak during World War II. These workers built, repaired, and overhauled naval vessels in facilities where asbestos insulation was used in virtually every compartment — engine rooms, boiler rooms, mess halls, sleeping quarters, and throughout piping and mechanical systems. The Fore River Shipyard in Quincy operated alongside the Charlestown facility as one of the largest shipbuilding operations on the East Coast, compounding the state's shipyard exposure burden.
Beyond shipbuilding, Massachusetts power plants burned coal and oil to generate electricity for the state's growing population, relying on asbestos-insulated boilers, turbines, and steam systems. The state's textile industry — concentrated in cities like Fall River and Lowell — used asbestos in machinery insulation and brake components. Construction workers across Boston, Springfield, and other Massachusetts cities handled asbestos-containing building materials including floor tiles, roofing, cement board, joint compound, and fireproofing spray throughout the building boom of the mid-20th century.
The 20-to-50-Year Latency Period
Mesothelioma does not appear immediately after asbestos exposure. The disease has a latency period of 20 to 50 years, meaning workers exposed at the Boston Naval Shipyard during the 1950s and 1960s, or at Fore River Shipyard during its peak operations, are being diagnosed now. A pipefitter who installed asbestos-wrapped insulation at the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1960 may only receive a mesothelioma diagnosis in 2025 or later. This extended latency is why Massachusetts continues to produce new mesothelioma cases decades after asbestos use was curtailed.
The concentration of industrial exposure in Massachusetts also means that many workers were exposed at multiple facilities over the course of a career. A tradesperson might have worked at the Boston Naval Shipyard, then moved to power plant construction, and later to commercial building projects — accumulating asbestos exposure at each site. This multi-site exposure history is important for legal claims because it can connect a patient to multiple asbestos trust funds and multiple defendants, increasing the total compensation available.
Massachusetts Asbestos Legacy by the Numbers
The Boston Naval Shipyard alone employed up to 50,000 workers per WikiMesothelioma.com, and Fore River Shipyard in Quincy added thousands more to the state's shipyard workforce. Combined with power plant workers, construction tradespeople, and textile industry employees, Massachusetts has one of the highest concentrations of historical asbestos exposure in New England. If you worked at any Massachusetts shipyard, power plant, or industrial facility before the mid-1980s, documenting your asbestos exposure history is a critical first step.
