Groton - Electric Boat Company
When one looks at the submarine industry in the US , the name that most commonly comes to mind is Electric Boat Company. The central company of defense contractor General Dynamics, Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut, founded in 1899, is the US Navy's largest supplier of submarines and also builds submarines for other naval services around the world. It operates two facilities in the New England area -- at Quonset Point RI and at its main facility in Groton CT, which is adjacent to the Naval Submarine Base in New London.
Electric Boat acquired the current Groton, CT., shipyard in 1911 when it purchased the New London Ship and Engine Co. From the start, the company has focused primarily on the development and construction of submarines. While hull fabrication takes place mostly in Quonset Point, the Groton facility has two major functions: first, submarine design and engineering; and second, submarine assembly, test and delivery. All Electric Boat design and engineering work takes place in Groton. The company currently employs roughly 11,000 shipyard workers.
From its founding, the company has been instrumental in the development and manufacturing of submarines for the US Navy, including the original nuclear submarine (the Nautilus in 1954), the first ballistic missile submarine (the George Washington in 1959) and the Trident, Seawolf, and Virginia class submarines that are currently the backbone of the modern Navy. EB has also built submarines for Taiwan, and engines for commercial vessels.
In common with many shipyards operating prior to the introduction of modern safety standards, workers at the Electric Boat facility were routinely exposed to asbestos, which was commonly used as fireproofing and insulation material for the boilers and steam pipes on their submarines. The enclosed quarters on submarines increased the risk to workers (and later sailors) breathing asbestos fibers. Workers were rarely issued protective equipment such as gloves and respirators to protect them from asbestos fibers. Exposure to asbestos fibers has been established as a strong precursor to the development of lung cancer, asbestosis ( a crippling inflammation of the lungs), and mesothelioma, a virulent cancer of the pleural membranes of the chest and abdomen.
Despite research dating from the late 1800s that showed a link between asbestos and various illnesses, and despite legislation and legal actions resulting from that research that date from the 1920s, industries were slow to change working conditions at their facilities and exposure to asbestos continued. Tens of thousands of deaths and illnesses of former shipyard employees have been attributed to asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other conditions related to asbestos exposure. Over the last thirty years, legal actions related to these damages have resulted in many hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of jury awards and settlements.
The facilities in Groton have been at the center of a number of asbestos and mesothelioma related legal actions. Anecdotal evidence from workers indicate that lung cancers, mesothelioma, and respiratory ailments were common among those who worked in areas of high asbestos exposure, and medical evidence supports that. Although the company stopped using asbestos-containing materials in the 1970s, suits relating to past exposure are still being filed, and settlements and judgments totaling millions of dollars have been awarded over the years, both to past employees and to their heirs.
- Early Detection of Mesothelioma Crucial
2008-04-28 13:30:11
When Brandon Benoit suffered a football injury last year, he never dreamed that getting treated for that injury could change his life—and perhaps save it. When Benoit was treated for his injuries ... [read more] - Could Caffeine Help Treat Mesothelioma?
2008-04-24 16:46:33
A mesothelioma research group has discovered that treatment with anti-cancer drug Pemetrexed may be more effective if patients are treated with caffeine before r ... [read more] - Mesothelioma Researchers to Receive Innovator Award
2008-04-24 16:44:14
The Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation, in conjunction with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), has created two new funding opportunities for scientists working on cancer resear ... [read more]
