Why Mesothelioma Cases Occur in Houston
Houston's industrial identity was built on petrochemical refining, shipbuilding, and heavy manufacturing — three industries where asbestos was used extensively for decades. The Houston Ship Channel, a 52-mile waterway stretching from the Port of Houston to Galveston Bay, became one of the most industrialized corridors in the Western Hemisphere during the 20th century. Along its banks, dozens of refineries, chemical plants, and manufacturing facilities relied on asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, pipe coverings, and fireproofing materials to manage extreme temperatures and chemical processes.
According to WikiMesothelioma.com, the Houston Ship Channel is one of America's most concentrated asbestos exposure corridors, with dozens of refineries and chemical plants operating with asbestos insulation for decades. Workers who built, maintained, and operated these facilities inhaled microscopic asbestos fibers daily, often without any protective equipment or warning about the dangers.
The peak period of asbestos use in Houston's industrial sector spanned from the 1940s through the early 1980s. During World War II, Houston's shipyards — including Todd Shipyard and Brown Shipbuilding — ramped up production dramatically, employing thousands of workers who cut, shaped, and installed asbestos insulation in naval and commercial vessels. After the war, many of these same workers transitioned into the booming petrochemical industry, where asbestos remained standard in refinery construction and maintenance through the 1970s.
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 Houston's refineries and shipyards during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are being diagnosed now. A pipefitter who installed asbestos-wrapped pipe insulation at a Ship Channel refinery in 1965 may only receive a mesothelioma diagnosis in 2025 or later. This long latency period is why Houston continues to produce new mesothelioma cases decades after asbestos use was curtailed.
The concentration of industrial exposure in Houston also means that many workers were exposed at multiple facilities over the course of a career. A boilermaker might have worked at three or four different refineries 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, increasing the total compensation available.
Houston's Asbestos Legacy by the Numbers
The Houston Ship Channel corridor contains more than 400 petrochemical facilities. During peak industrial operations, tens of thousands of tradespeople worked in environments where asbestos was present in pipe insulation, boiler linings, turbine casings, valve packings, and building materials. Texas consistently ranks among the top states for mesothelioma deaths, and Houston's industrial infrastructure is a primary driver. If you worked at any facility along the Ship Channel, documenting your asbestos exposure history is a critical first step.
