Kaiser Shipyard - Overview
There are lots of shipyards in the "Washington area -- some serve as dry docks, others as shipbuilders, while many do repair and overhauling services to old and new ships, boats and submarines. Kaiser Shipyard had been one of them. Now closed, many people still have interest on it. The reason? Asbestos exposure.
Kaiser Shipyard
Kaiser Shipyards was one of the biggest shipbuilding yards in the United States. In 1939, Henry J. Kaiser established the seven Kaiser Shipyards, four of which were located in Richmond, California and the other three in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. It was built primarily to create merchant ships that meet the standards and requirements set by the United States Maritime Commission.
Kaiser Shipyards were known for speedy and effective methods of shipbuilding. Within its entire period of operations, the Kaiser Shipyards had built 1,490 U.S. Navy ships. However, at the end of the war, Kaiser Shipyards shut down.
Today, there are still claims being made against the corporation for asbestos exposure. Many of those who had worked with the shipyards during its most productive stages have suffered from asbestosis and mesothelioma, diseases that are caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. The reason for this is that during the World War, asbestos had been a material of choice to fire-proof and insulate docks and other parts of the vessels. And in steel making (for the body parts and the broiler room), asbestos had been used extensively, too.
Why asbestos exposure is so feared by many?
Asbestos exposure should not be taken lightly by anyone. Prolonged exposure to the fibrous materials of this mineral may cause different types of diseases, each of which are serious medical conditions. Among these diseases are asbestosis and mesothelioma.
These diseases doesn't have a cure; the fibers of asbestos have already worked their ways into your lungs, making it totally impossible to remove them and reverse the damage that they have done to your system. And when malignant tumors have formed in the lining of your lungs, it means that your illness or your mesothelioma is already in its advance stage.
What's more, mesothelioma is hard to detect. It may surface after ten or fifty years. There's no definite timeframe as to when it will strike. And when it does, it cannot be stopped.
Seek medical and legal help
As mentioned, mesothelioma doesn't come out immediately. If you had worked in an old vessel or shipyard, you should seek medical and legal help, even if you had not been working for the shipyard company for more than a decade.
This is to ensure that you are in good health. And in case you are not, and your doctor suspected that you possibly might have mesothelioma because of some lung related symptoms, seek a mesothelioma lawyer to explain to you the legal remedies available for you. In case your doctor has confirmed his suspicion, you can claim for medical and financial assistance from the shipyard that you have worked for.
- Early Detection of Mesothelioma Crucial
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