Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard
The Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard, also known as the Coast Guard Yard, was established in 1899 as a training academy and boat repair facility. Located southeast of Baltimore, Maryland, it was fully operational as a shipbuilding and repair site by 1910 and later became part of the shipbuilding effort begun when the United States entered World War II. The facility was responsible for vessel repair and overhaul, manufacturing activities and buoy construction, and operations lasted well into the 1970s.
One result was debris that contaminated the facility with toxic substances like asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and dioxin. In 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a federal facility interagency agreement with the Coast Guard for the cleanup of the Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard, which was designated at EPA Superfund in 2002. The agreement mandated that the Coast Guard identify environmental impacts associated with its past activities and take the necessary actions to protect the community and the environment.
Today the Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard provides industrial support for the Coast Guard, including the design, construction, overhaul, repair, and modification of ships.
Shipyards like Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard are considered high-risk jobsites for exposure to asbestos, a toxic mineral known to cause malignant mesothelioma cancer. To know more about shipyards and asbestos, fill out this form to get a copy of the Mesothelioma Center’s free informational packet.
Asbestos and Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard
A barracks known as Fleet Hall at the yard, Building No. 33, was constructed in 1939 as part of a WPA work program. It was a concrete and steel structure that replaced the temporary wooden barracks already on the facility. In keeping with the building trends of the era, each of the building’s wings had roofs made from asbestos shingles.
Asbestos was also found as part of the yard’s shipbuilding and repair activities. The Salvage Lot, located in the northwestern section of the yard along its northern boundary, was an active scrap metal yard since it was built in the 1940s. It was also found to be location that was used for dumping asbestos debris.
The Burn Pit, located in close proximity to the Salvage Lot, was actively used from the late 1940s right through 1963. It was reportedly used for the disposal and incineration of liquids, solid waste, oil, batteries, scrap metal, and asbestos-containing metals.
The area surrounding both of these sites was used as a disposal site for unspecified materials, which means that asbestos could also have been disposed of there.
Lawsuit Involving Curtis Bay
There is at least one known mesothelioma-related lawsuit involving the Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard and asbestos exposure. In 2003, the estate of Harry Hunter sued Owens-Illinois Glass for providing Kaylo, an asbestos-containing insulation used at Curtis Bay.
Hunter, who died from mesothelioma in 2001, had worked as an electrician at Curtis Bay for 33 days during the summer of 1956 while he was in college. The jury awarded Hunter's estate $4.2 million for his wrongful death. The amount was reduced to $600,000 because Maryland state law mandated a liability limit of $600,000.
More Information about Mesothelioma
Get more information about mesothelioma, its effects and its treatment from one of four free books provided by the Mesothelioma Center. Fill out this form to pick the book(s) you want to order. "Surviving Mesothelioma" and "100 Questions & Answers about Mesothelioma" are two of the titles we provide.
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Last Modified Thursday, February 9th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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