Asbestos in New York
ranking in U.S. for mesothelioma & asbestosis deaths
Exposure to asbestos in New York gathered attention in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center after experts concluded more than 4,000 tons of dust and debris came from the collapse of the Twin Towers. That dust contained asbestos fibers because the World Trade Center buildings were constructed with asbestos products like insulation. But the state of New York had asbestos issues long before 9/11.
New York is widely considered the origin of the asbestos industry. A company that became the Johns-Manville Corporation started mining vermiculite for asbestos insulation in 1858. Fast-forward more than a century, and the state now has the fifth-highest number of asbestos-related deaths in the country. Old shipyards – the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the GMD Shipyard and others – are notorious for their asbestos contamination. And vermiculite from a W.R. Grace facility in Weedsport, New York, was shipped to various cities and towns in the state, including New York City, Rochester, Buffalo, Brooklyn and Watertown.
Treatment Centers in this State
Mesothelioma and Asbestosis Deaths, 1999-2008
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1374mesothelioma deaths in New York
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219asbestosis deaths in New York
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1593total mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths
Occupational and Environmental Areas at Risk
Most New Yorkers who have mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases were exposed to asbestos while on the job. Shipyard workers, metal workers and power plant workers are among the high-risk professions. Experts are watching to see if they need to expand the list to include first-responders and clean-up personnel from 9/11.
- Brooklyn Navy Yard
- GMD Shipyard
- Caddell Dry Dock
- Todd Shipyards in Brooklyn
- Alcoa Aluminum
- Charles Poletti Power Project
- Astoria Powerhouse
- Indian Point Station
- Arthur Kill Powerhouse
- Hudson Avenue Generation Station
- Other Con-Ed Powerhouses
Asbestos and 9/11
Following the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, the New York Department of Health requested air and dust samples from Lower Manhattan. They wanted to know if residents were at an increased danger of being exposed to asbestos-containing materials because of the terrorist attacks. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) collected air and dust samples for five weeks in late 2001, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also monitored air quality in the same area.
Two months after the attacks, low levels of asbestos were found in surface dust in Lower Manhattan. No asbestos was detected in Upper Manhattan. Because of the time lag between the attacks and the air-quality testing, "these results probably underestimate the levels of World Trade Center-related materials that were in Lower Manhattan immediately after" 9/11, the ATSDR's 2002 report stated.
A 2008 EPA report indicated that few samples contained asbestos and that the ones that did have asbestos were not considered a health threat. However, while marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in 2011, New Yorkers learned from various media outlets that thousands of 9/11 emergency workers and volunteers are in poor health. Researchers discovered a high proportion of highly alkaline particles from pulverized concrete, asbestos and toxic heavy metals like lead and mercury.
W.R. Grace
The W.R Grace Company is mostly associated with asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana, but the firm also made an imprint on New York. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) warned former Zonolite Company/W.R. Grace workers about their increased risk of disease because of work-related asbestos exposure. Former employees are encouraged to have doctors screen them for potential asbestos related illnesses even though the levels of asbestos exposure are unknown. Company jobsites are closed, and the ATSDR said that any future development of that land may produce more asbestos exposure issues.
Asbestos Lawsuits
When it comes to seeking financial restitution for asbestos exposure, New York is one of the friendliest states in the country. Mass torts thrive in New York, especially asbestos litigation. While some states enacted legal and medical restrictions on patients or families of patients filing lawsuits related to mesothelioma or asbestos, lawmakers in New York ramped up regulations and protections from exposure. They also enacted laws that force companies to defend decisions that allowed for asbestos exposure. By 2000, about 12 percent of all asbestos-related lawsuits in the United States were filed in New York.
Asbestos-Related Deaths in New York
From 1979 to 2001, an estimated 2,626 to 4,088 New York residents died from an asbestos related disease. The numbers are not precise in part because the U.S. government did not maintain a record for mesothelioma deaths until the late 1990s.
Once it began tracking mesothelioma-related mortality, the death rate jumped from 935 people in 1998 to 2,343 people in 1999. The borough of Queens had the largest number of asbestos-related death during the 23-year span: between 289 and 490. Nassau County reported between 248 and 379 and Suffolk County between 255 and 375. They were followed by Erie County, Kings County and West Chester County.
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© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Thursday, February 16th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
