Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers and Navy veterans breathed asbestos for decades. What the shipyard evidence shows, who is at risk, and what families can do now.

By Asbestos Mesothelioma Information 5 min read Exposure & Epidemiology

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Bremerton Shipyard Asbestos: Mesothelioma Risk Explained

If you worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, or someone in your family did, and mesothelioma has entered the picture, the question underneath is usually whether that decades-old shipyard work still counts. It does. Shipyard work is among the best-documented asbestos exposures in the United States, and this page explains what the evidence shows for people with Bremerton ties: which trades carried the highest risk, why the disease appears so long after the work, and what veterans, civilian workers, and family members can each do about it now.

Why Navy shipyards meant asbestos

From the 1930s into the 1970s, the Navy built asbestos into nearly every system that carried heat or steam: boilers, engines, pipes, turbines, and the bulkheads around them. Asbestos insulation did not stop being present when a ship left the yard. Repair and overhaul work, which is most of what a yard like Puget Sound does, meant cutting, removing, and re-applying that insulation again and again, each step capable of releasing fibers into confined below-deck spaces. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, established in 1891, has anchored Bremerton’s economy for generations, and its overhaul work centered on exactly these trades.

The trades with the heaviest exposure were the ones that touched insulation directly or worked where it was being disturbed: pipefitters and shipfitters, boilermakers, insulators and laggers, machinists, electricians, and welders. But in an enclosed ship, fibers traveled, so even trades that never handled insulation were exposed. The National Cancer Institute is direct about the consequence: exposure to asbestos causes most mesotheliomas and can also cause lung, laryngeal, and ovarian cancer (NCI).

What the shipyard studies show

Strong American evidence comes from long-term studies of shipyard workers. A cohort of 4,702 civilian workers at a U.S. Coast Guard shipyard, followed for five decades, recorded mesothelioma mortality more than five times the general population’s, along with excess lung cancer (Occup Environ Med). A follow-up analysis of the same cohort evaluated mortality associated with specific chemical exposures, including asbestos (Arch Environ Occup Health). These studies examined shipyard work of the same kind performed at Bremerton-era yards; our page on shipyard workers and asbestos exposure walks through them in detail.

Two features of that evidence matter for a worried reader. First, the risk followed duration: longer careers in exposed trades meant higher rates. Second, the diseases took decades to appear. Across studies, mesothelioma is typically diagnosed 20 to 50 years after first exposure, a timeline our epidemiology page explains (Eur J Pharm Sci). A Bremerton worker exposed in the 1960s or 1970s is within that window today, which is why new diagnoses among shipyard communities continue decades after the heaviest use ended.

Veterans and civilians have different paths

For Navy veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs requires evidence of asbestos contact during service, but the rating schedule itself assigns malignant mesothelioma a 100 percent disability evaluation (eCFR, 38 C.F.R. § 4.97); the VA’s asbestos page lists shipyards among the workplaces that warrant testing (VA). Our guides cover how the 100 percent rating works and what to do if a VA claim is denied.

Civilian shipyard workers and their families generally follow the legal route instead: lawsuits against asbestos product manufacturers and claims against the trust funds those companies established in bankruptcy. Our legal rights and compensation guide explains both, including why claims filed decades after the work are normal rather than exceptional. Family members exposed to fibers carried home on work clothes have also brought successful claims.

Frequently asked questions

Did Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers face mesothelioma risk?

Yes. Navy ship repair involved disturbing asbestos insulation continuously, and studies of shipyard workers of the same era found mesothelioma rates several times the general population’s. Risk was highest for insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, and shipfitters, but confined below-deck spaces exposed other trades too.

I worked in Bremerton shipyards decades ago. Should I worry now?

The useful response is awareness, not alarm. Mesothelioma typically appears 20 to 50 years after exposure, so workers from the 1960s and 1970s remain within the window today (Eur J Pharm Sci). If you have persistent breathlessness, chest pain, or a cough, tell a doctor about the shipyard history specifically.

Can Navy veterans get VA benefits for mesothelioma?

Yes, and the path is well marked. The VA asks for evidence of asbestos contact during military service, and the rating schedule itself assigns malignant mesothelioma a 100 percent evaluation, so the rating is not in dispute once service connection is established. Our guide explains the process and the documentation that helps.

Can family members of shipyard workers get mesothelioma?

Yes, through take-home exposure. Fibers carried on work clothes, hair, and car interiors exposed spouses and children who never entered the yard, and laundry handling was a documented route. Family members with a diagnosis can generally pursue claims as well.

This article is for education only. It is not medical advice, an assessment of any individual’s exposure or risk, or legal advice about any claim. Questions about symptoms belong with a doctor; questions about rights belong with a licensed professional.

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