Pensacola Naval Air Station
NAS Pensacola was the first Naval Air Station commissioned by the Navy (in 1914), and the base has a rich history of training and developing U.S. pilots for wartime. The station was the site of the first naval aviation flight training detachment. NAS Pensacola was the only existing Naval Air Station when the U.S. entered the World War I, and it was responsible for training more than 1,000 Naval Aviators in support of the war effort. By the end of WWI, Pensacola was training approximately 100 pilots each month.
As the U.S. entered into World War II, the number of Naval Aviators trained grew to more than 1,000 pilots a month, and the aircraft inventory expanded to more than 130,000 aircraft. Training continued and during the Korean and Vietnam wars, and about 2,500 aviators received their training at Pensacola. Part of Naval Air Station's rich history, however, includes asbestos.
A National Registry of Historic Placesreport from 1972 found the following five historic structures to have asbestos in them. Two buildings in the Officer's Quadruplex were covered with white asbestos siding, as was the base's Guesthouse and an administrative and storage facility. A fifth building had yellow asbestos siding. In 1989, NAS Pensacola was placed on the EPA's National Priorities List.
Military installations like Pensacola Naval Air Station are known for their reliance on asbestos in building construction and aircraft repairs. Servicemen are regarded as high-risk individuals for asbestos exposure and, therefore, for developing mesothelioma. To learn more, get a free informational packet from the Mesothelioma Center. Fill out this form to have a packet mailed to you.
Pensacola Naval Air Station a Superfund Site
Of specific interest was a sanitary landfill on the air station. It was used from the 1950s until 1976 and was determined to contain, among other contaminants, asbestos from building demolition. A construction debris field extended from south of North Pond to Powerline Road. A plan to remediate the many contamination problems was developed and implemented.
The Navy made such a significant use of asbestos in the construction of buildings on its installations that, a landfill at the air station was put on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) list of Superfund sites because of the amount of asbestos related cleanup that was necessary.
Today, NAS Pensacola is still the location for a number of Naval Aviation Training Commands. In addition, it is also the site for the National Naval Aviation Museum and the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels.
Asbestos at Pensacola NAS
There are two other instances in which the government documented confirmed or likely asbestos at NAS. The first came from a natural disaster, Hurricane Ivan. The second stemmed from a routine survey of Saufley Field, an air station on the base.
When Hurricane Ivan devastated Pensacola in 2004, a significant number of structures on the NAS had to be repaired, including the Mustin Beach Officers Club. KBR, the company awarded the contract, had to perform asbestos abatement, in addition to abatement for mold and mildew, in the buildings being repaired. Workers were forced to work without electrical power, land communication, or suitable base housing; however, in spite of these challenges, the job was completed within 10 days of the start of the project.
A 2008 survey of the environmental condition of Saufley Field on NAS Pensacola determined that because of the age of the structures located there, it was fairly certain that asbestos was present. However, there was no determination if the asbestos was friable, meaning easily crumbled when touched.
Despite the presence of asbestos at NAS, the air station has a tall place in the U.S. military effort, beginning with World War II. The Pensacola Naval Air Station Historic District was created to preserve 55 designated historic base structures.
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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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