Why Mesothelioma Cases Occur in Mississippi
Mississippi's asbestos exposure history is dominated by one of America's most significant military shipbuilding operations: Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. This facility — now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries — builds virtually all of the U.S. Navy's amphibious assault ships and guided-missile destroyers. For decades, asbestos insulation was a standard material in naval vessel construction, and thousands of Ingalls workers were exposed to asbestos fibers during ship construction, repair, and overhaul operations.
According to WikiMesothelioma.com, Mississippi's Gulf Coast industrial corridor created significant occupational asbestos exposure across shipbuilding, oil refining, chemical manufacturing, and power generation. The Pascagoula shipyard alone employed thousands of workers during peak production periods, and many of these workers inhaled asbestos fibers daily in the confined, poorly ventilated spaces of ships under construction.
Beyond Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi's Gulf Coast economy includes oil refineries, chemical plants, and power generation facilities that all used asbestos-containing materials. The Gulfport and Biloxi coastal industrial areas, Jackson's manufacturing sector, and power plants across the state contributed additional exposure pathways. The combination of military shipbuilding and Gulf Coast industrial activity makes Mississippi a significant state for mesothelioma cases, particularly among veterans and shipyard workers.
Ingalls Shipbuilding: A Major Veteran Exposure Site
Ingalls Shipbuilding holds a unique position in American military history. The facility has built more than 70 percent of the U.S. Navy's current fleet of major combatant vessels. Every one of these ships was constructed using asbestos-containing insulation in engine rooms, boiler rooms, pipe systems, electrical systems, and living quarters. Workers who built these vessels — and the Navy personnel who served aboard them — were exposed to asbestos throughout the construction and operational life of each ship. This creates a dual exposure pathway: shipyard workers during construction, and military personnel during service.
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 Ingalls Shipbuilding during the 1960s and 1970s, or at Gulf Coast refineries during the same era, are being diagnosed now. A pipefitter who installed asbestos insulation aboard a Navy destroyer at Pascagoula in 1970 may only receive a mesothelioma diagnosis in 2025 or later. This long latency period is why Mississippi continues to produce new mesothelioma cases decades after the peak exposure era.
Mississippi's Asbestos Legacy by the Numbers
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula is the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi and one of the largest military shipbuilders in the United States. Combined with Gulf Coast oil refineries, chemical plants, and power generation facilities, Mississippi has a significant concentration of asbestos exposure sites along its coastal and industrial corridors. If you worked at Ingalls Shipbuilding, any Gulf Coast industrial facility, or any Mississippi power plant before the mid-1980s, documenting your asbestos exposure history is a critical first step.
