A little Hawaiian history

Having been settled by Polynesians around 1000-1200 CE, British explorer James Cook arrived in 1778, followed by an influx of American and European traders. With them came a host of new diseases, such as gonorrhea, measles, smallpox, typhoid fever and syphilis, wiping out much of the native Hawaiian community. By 1890, approximately 40,000 remained.

Hawaii under U.S. control before statehood

In 1810, Hawaii became a unified kingdom; but by 1893, the monarchy was overthrown, leading to the U.S. taking control in 1898. Having become a valuable U.S. state territory, Hawaii was subsequently the target of an historically significant attack by Japan during World War II (more on that a little later). 

Hawaii’s tropical climate and fertile soils have driven major plantation and agricultural industries, although diversification into military defense and tourism began in the early 1900s. With its beautiful weather and tropical beaches, Hawaii attracts plenty of tourists. The state is also home to the world’s largest maritime fleet command – the U.S. Pacific Fleet – and provides 75,000 people with Defense Department jobs.

Asbestos and Hawaii

It was around the time of WWII that the U.S. Navy began using vast amounts of asbestos in the building of vessels. Given its fireproofing, hardy characteristics, asbestos was used so liberally in manufacturing, that anyone working in the shipyards, ports or ships up to the 1980s would likely have been exposed. The Oahu Pearl Harbor Shipyard is no exception.

The problem is that asbestos fibers cause significant health problems, including asbestosis and cancers like mesothelioma.

The Long Latency of Asbestos-Related Diseases

Asbestos-related diseases have a long latency, meaning they can take up to fifty years to appear after a person was first exposed.

Many workers who were even tested for asbestos diseases in the 1990s only developed their health problems in the 2010s and 20s. 

Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Families of asbestos workers were often exposed to asbestos on work clothes and have an elevated risk of developing asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos is very dusty, and its tiny sharp fibers stick to almost anything.

So many industrial workers brought home asbestos on their work clothing, exposing anyone washing or coming into contact with them by sharing a garage, washroom, home or vehicle. 

Asbestos fibers have no taste or smell, and can be microscopic, so you may not realize you were breathing them.

In fact a toxicology study found that laundering clothing with asbestos dust can expose a person to almost half the dust as a worker that cuts an asbestos pipe with an abrasive saw.²

People who experience secondary (or second-hand) asbestos exposure (also known as household, domestic, take-home, or family asbestos exposure) can develop symptoms of asbestos-related disease at a higher rate than people who were never exposed. 

Power plants and Oil Refineries

Power plants and oil refineries also present significant risks of primary and secondary asbestos exposure for workers and their families. Many power plants and oil refineries utilized the heat and fire resistant properties of asbestos before the dangers were well known. Consequently, asbestos can still be found in heavy machinery such as tanks and boilers. The Barbers point ‘Chevron facility’ is particularly high risk.

Residences

The risk of general residential exposure is also no different to many other U.S. states. Throughout much of the 20th Century, asbestos was used in the manufacture of a wide variety of construction materials still found in older properties today. While asbestos is not dangerous unless it is disrupted (causing the microfibers to become airborne), as these materials age and degrade, the risk is heightened. 

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

If you believe that your home was contaminated with asbestos, or you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being. 

All without filing a lawsuit.
If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.