San Francisco Drydock
The San Francisco Drydock has the distinction of being the largest drydock facility in the city of San Francisco. Located on the scenic port of San Francisco, this particular drydock company opened its doors in 1978 and remains today as the only full-service ship repair company in San Francisco. Recently acquired by a major defense contractor, the San Francisco Drydock has expanded beyond warships and military vessels. Today, San Francisco Drydock Inc. operates inside the same facilities that belonged to Bethlehem Steel Company and Union Iron Works, respectively. Both of these companies were heavily involved in building and repairing ships during World War I and World War II.
San Francisco Drydock is a ship repair company that performs maintenance checks, alterations and other repairs to warships, cruise-liners, carrier ships, and tankers. This also includes cleaning, coating and welding of many different materials; often it includes applications by hand as needed. Since San Francisco Drydock operates in a world that has found many uses for ships, even commercial uses, more labor is required, and aesthetic details for cruise ships often require hand applications. Industrial strength cleaning and coating supplies contained large quantities of asbestos as well, increasing the number of shipyard personnel at risk of asbestos exposure.
Although the use of lead-based paint has seen a decline, in the ship building and ship-repair industries they are still very much commonplace. Welders are at a particularly high risk of asbestos exposure and Mesothelioma or lung cancer. Because insulation is a preferred method in shipyards to keep pipes weather resistant, welders are in-demand and at an extremely high risk for asbestos-related illnesses. Most shipyard workers are at an increased risk of the diseases related to asbestos exposure. Employees of San Francisco Drydock are still at risk even though the company was founded in the late 1970s, because many of the old ships still contain materials made with asbestos.
Breathing in tiny asbestos particles is unavoidable for most shipyard workers, but this is the most common way of infection. The particles from insulation, paint and other materials become airborne and the workers cannot see these particles. Until the1970s, very little information was available regarding the effects of asbestos exposure. However, since symptoms of asbestos exposure only occur after a prolonged period many people were unaware until they became ill. Mesothelioma is another illness associated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining around your lungs, and exposure to asbestos is the only cause.
San Francisco Drydock operates facilities that were major shipyards during World War I and WWII, and current employees are just as likely to succumb to asbestos related illnesses as their predecessors were during the wars. Although today because of the widespread knowledge regarding the hazards of asbestos exposure, most shipyards follow government regulations and require employees to wear masks and other protective gear. Unfortunately, employees of San Francisco Drydock remain at risk until the facility has undergone a thorough gutting and all asbestos has been removed from the premises.
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