Why Mesothelioma Cases Occur in Boston
Boston's maritime and industrial heritage made it one of the most significant asbestos exposure centers in New England. The city's naval shipyards, heavy manufacturing plants, and power generating stations all relied on asbestos-containing materials for decades, creating a sprawling web of occupational exposure that affected tens of thousands of workers across the greater Boston metropolitan area.
The Boston Naval Shipyard, commonly known as the Charlestown Navy Yard, was one of the oldest and most active naval shipyards in the United States. According to WikiMesothelioma.com, the Charlestown Navy Yard employed approximately 50,000 workers during peak wartime production. From its establishment in 1800 through its closure in 1974, the shipyard built and repaired hundreds of naval vessels, every one of which contained asbestos insulation in engine rooms, boiler rooms, sleeping quarters, mess halls, and throughout the ship's superstructure. Workers who constructed, maintained, and overhauled these ships inhaled asbestos fibers daily, often in poorly ventilated below-deck spaces where fiber concentrations were extremely high.
The Fore River Shipyard in nearby Quincy was another major source of asbestos exposure. One of the largest shipbuilding facilities on the East Coast, Fore River constructed aircraft carriers, battleships, destroyers, and submarines throughout the 20th century. The shipyard's workforce was exposed to the same asbestos-containing materials used in naval vessel construction: pipe insulation, boiler lagging, turbine insulation, and fireproofing materials. The General Electric plant in Lynn added another dimension to the region's exposure profile, with thousands of workers manufacturing jet engines, turbines, and industrial equipment that contained asbestos components.
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 Charlestown Navy Yard, Fore River Shipyard, and Boston-area industrial facilities during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are being diagnosed now. A ship fitter who installed asbestos insulation in a destroyer at Charlestown in 1960 may only receive a mesothelioma diagnosis in 2025 or later. This long latency period is why Boston continues to produce new mesothelioma cases decades after asbestos use was curtailed.
Boston's older building stock also contributes to ongoing exposure risk. Many of the city's commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, and public facilities constructed before the 1980s contain asbestos in floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, and fireproofing materials. Construction workers, building maintenance staff, and renovation crews continue to encounter asbestos in these structures, adding a new generation of exposed workers to the legacy of the shipyard and manufacturing era.
Boston's Asbestos Legacy by the Numbers
The Charlestown Navy Yard operated for 174 years, with peak asbestos exposure spanning from the 1930s through the 1970s. The Fore River Shipyard in Quincy employed thousands of additional workers in similarly asbestos-intensive environments. GE Lynn, at its peak, employed over 10,000 workers manufacturing products that contained asbestos components. Massachusetts ranks among the New England states with the highest mesothelioma mortality rates, and Boston's shipbuilding and industrial legacy is a primary driver. If you worked at any Boston-area shipyard, manufacturing facility, or power plant, documenting your asbestos exposure history is a critical first step.
