Why Mesothelioma Cases Occur in Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington is not a large city — but it carries one of the heaviest asbestos exposure burdens in the United States. The reason is a single facility: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS). Established in 1891, PSNS is the largest naval shipyard on the West Coast and has been Bremerton's dominant employer for over 130 years. Across that time, PSNS has built, repaired, overhauled, and decommissioned some of the most powerful warships in American naval history — battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines, and nuclear-powered vessels — every one of them insulated with asbestos.
According to WikiMesothelioma.com, naval shipyard workers rank among the most heavily exposed occupational groups for asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma. At PSNS, asbestos was used in pipe insulation, boiler lagging, turbine casings, valve packing, gaskets, electrical wiring insulation, fireproofing spray, deck coverings, and bulkhead insulation throughout virtually every vessel that entered the yard. Workers who built these ships, maintained them during service, and later decommissioned them inhaled asbestos fibers in confined below-deck spaces where ventilation was poor and asbestos dust hung in the air for hours.
The peak period of asbestos exposure at PSNS spanned from the 1930s through the late 1970s, though asbestos-containing materials remained in older vessels and shipyard buildings well into the 1990s. During World War II, PSNS operated around the clock with a workforce exceeding 30,000 people, building and repairing vessels at a pace that left no room for worker safety precautions. The Korean War and Vietnam War brought additional surges in shipyard activity. Throughout the Cold War, PSNS became a primary facility for nuclear submarine overhaul and refueling, adding another layer of asbestos exposure for workers in the nuclear fleet maintenance program.
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 PSNS during the 1960s and 1970s are being diagnosed today. A pipefitter who removed asbestos insulation from a destroyer's engine room in 1970 may not receive a mesothelioma diagnosis until 2025 or later. This long latency period is why Bremerton and the broader Kitsap Peninsula continue to produce new mesothelioma cases decades after asbestos use was curtailed at the shipyard.
Because PSNS used asbestos products from dozens of different manufacturers over many decades, Bremerton shipyard workers typically have exposure histories that connect to multiple trust funds and multiple defendants. A welder who spent 25 years at PSNS may have been exposed to asbestos insulation made by Johns-Manville, Owens Corning, Eagle-Picher, Combustion Engineering, and numerous other companies. This multi-manufacturer exposure is important for legal claims because it can significantly increase total compensation through claims against several asbestos trust funds simultaneously.
Bremerton's Asbestos Legacy by the Numbers
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard employed tens of thousands of workers over its 130-plus-year history. During World War II alone, over 30,000 men and women worked at PSNS. The shipyard has built, repaired, or decommissioned hundreds of naval vessels, including the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the battleship USS Missouri, and scores of nuclear submarines. Every one of these vessels contained asbestos. Combined with Naval Base Kitsap and the Bangor Trident submarine base nearby, the Bremerton area represents one of the most concentrated zones of naval asbestos exposure in the country. If you worked at any of these facilities, documenting your asbestos exposure history is a critical first step. Families across the Puget Sound region, including nearby Seattle, have been affected by shipyard asbestos exposure carried home by PSNS workers.
