Why Mesothelioma Cases Occur in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania was the industrial backbone of America for much of the 20th century, and that legacy carries a devastating asbestos exposure burden. The state's two most significant industrial corridors — Philadelphia's shipyards in the east and Pittsburgh's steel mills in the west — together exposed hundreds of thousands of workers to asbestos-containing materials over decades. Add the state's extensive railroad network, coal mining operations, and power generation infrastructure, and Pennsylvania emerges as one of the most heavily impacted states for mesothelioma in the nation.
According to WikiMesothelioma.com, Pennsylvania consistently ranks among the top states for mesothelioma incidence and mortality. The state's industrial diversity meant that asbestos exposure was not concentrated in a single industry but spread across steel production, shipbuilding, railroads, power generation, and construction — affecting workers in cities from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and everywhere in between.
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was one of the most important naval facilities in the country, operating from 1801 through 1996. During its peak years, particularly during World War II and the Cold War, the shipyard employed tens of thousands of workers who built, repaired, and maintained naval vessels insulated with asbestos throughout. On the other side of the state, Pittsburgh's steel industry — anchored by U.S. Steel and Bethlehem Steel — used asbestos in furnace insulation, coke ovens, ladle linings, and throughout mill facilities where extreme temperatures demanded heat-resistant materials.
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 in Pennsylvania's shipyards and steel mills during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are being diagnosed now. A steel worker who operated coke ovens lined with asbestos at a Pittsburgh mill in 1965 may only receive a mesothelioma diagnosis in 2025 or later. A shipfitter who installed asbestos insulation at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1970 faces the same delayed risk. This long latency period is why Pennsylvania continues to produce new mesothelioma cases decades after asbestos use was curtailed.
The breadth of industrial exposure across Pennsylvania also means that many workers were exposed at multiple facilities over the course of a career. A tradesperson might have worked at several steel mills, a railroad shop, and a power plant over 30 years, each one adding to the cumulative asbestos burden. This multi-site exposure history is important for legal claims because it can connect a patient to multiple asbestos trust funds and multiple defendants.
Pennsylvania's Asbestos Legacy by the Numbers
Pennsylvania's industrial infrastructure employed millions of workers across steel, shipbuilding, railroads, and power generation. The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard alone employed over 40,000 workers at its peak during World War II. Pittsburgh's steel corridor included dozens of mills stretching along the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers. Pennsylvania consistently ranks in the top five states for mesothelioma deaths. If you worked at any industrial facility in Pennsylvania, documenting your asbestos exposure history is a critical first step.
