Rough & Ready Island Ship Repair
During World War II, the United States Navy decided to build a supply depository at Rough & Ready Island. The idea behind this inland supply depot stemmed from the notion that the being located on a coast, supply depots were vulnerable to attack. If an attack did occur, the supplies at Rough & Ready Island were easily accessible by trains. In 1944, it looked as if Europe had all but won, which allowed United States military personnel to focus on war in the Pacific. The shift in focus left current supply depots bombarded with orders and unable to process them quickly. Originally, Rough & Ready Island was set up as an auxiliary depot for the Navy depot in Oakland California.
Although construction of the facility was completed just as planned, with the end of the war it would no longer require a year-round presence. The Navy began to lease parcels of the land for private use. That use included ship repair for naval vessels, and later for commercial vessels. Like many naval shipyards during World War II, Rough & Ready Island included many ways for exposure to asbestos. As a supply depot, many supplies that include asbestos were stored in a dry warehouse for prolonged periods. While efficient, this method of storing materials makes asbestos exposure inevitable to the naval personnel operating this facility.
Asbestos exposure occurs when individuals exposed to asbestos particles inhale them into the lungs and other organs. In shipyards, it's difficult to discern which materials contain asbestos and which do not. A direct link has been associated with working in poorly ventilated areas with materials commonly used by welders, pipe fitters, electricians and others involved in the process of building or repairing ships, to Mesothelioma, a form of cancer only caused by asbestos exposure. The increased need for war vessels meant longer periods of asbestos exposure, especially in inadequately ventilated areas.
Long-term exposure to asbestos is dangerous and eventually leads to cancer. Because the effects of asbestos exposure were largely unknown until the 1970s, many shipbuilders worked without protective masks. Even workers who did wear protective gear often wore gear that also contained asbestos. The World War II workers began to show signs of exposure to asbestos more than two decades after building war vessels and cargo vessels. Since the 1970s, new laws have been enacted to enforce safer working conditions for shipyard employees.
Lawyers and activist groups have both taken an interest in the side effects of asbestos exposure which eventually lead to Mesothelioma, even going so far as to pursue legal action against shipyards that exposed employees to asbestos. Virtually all shipyards, including Rough & Ready Island exposed employees to asbestos, for that reason many lawsuits have been brought to force these companies to provide financial compensation to sick employees who now have to treat Mesothelioma, lung cancer and other illnesses related to asbestos exposure. Recently Rough & Ready Island was returned to the ownership of the city of Stockton, CA for development. It has yet to be determined if the United States Navy effectively cleaned up all waste remaining that could prove harmful to residents of Stockton.
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