Latest California Asbestos and Mesothelioma News
The people of El Dorado Hills, California are trying to live with asbestos. The form of asbestos they have to accept is a naturally occurring form that leaves them two choices; put up with it or move.
Article Added June 2nd, 2007
Continuing troubles for one California courthouse has just gotten worse as more than 150 employees of the building joined together in a lawsuit. Employees of the Salinas Courthouse are stating that contractors put them in danger of asbestos exposure.
Article Added May 20th, 2007
A California building owner is responsible for almost $150,000 in fines after asbestos was illegally removed from his site. The man hired unlicensed contractors to remove the deadly material, putting workers at risk of exposure.
Article Added May 19th, 2007
The Salinas County Courthouse has been a hotbed of activity when it comes to asbestos and asbestos removal. A half dozen companies and contractors have quit the renovation project amid asbestos allegations.
Article Added May 17th, 2007
Three people working on a Lennar home building site in San Francisco say that they were retaliated against after they complained about deadly asbestos dust on the site. The people claim that the company did everything in their power to keep them silent.
Article Added May 10th, 2007
Todd Shipyard, San Francisco
Another addition to the Todd Shipyard Corporation is the San Francisco division, which was added in 1948 and includes a yard inside the Golden Gate of San Francisco. This yard came to Todd Shipyards, originally in the form of a ten-year lease, as an asset for its capability to manufacture larger passenger and cargo vessels as well as tankers. This shipyard, located in Alameda, California, has contributed immensely to the Todd Shipyard Corporation and has become one of the main shipbuilding yards. The Todd Shipyard San Francisco Division, as a high-tech and versatile yard, was well enforced with dam-and lock gate-producing gear as seen in the Stanislaus River project where the shipyard assembled flood-control and irrigation dam radical gates. The San Francisco yard also contributed to the improvements in space technology with a huge compressor stator for a supersonic wind tunnel amongst other space-related projects. The San Francisco yard first joined the team as part of the Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation. The name then changed in 1949 to the San Francisco Division when it joined with the main Todd Shipyard Corporation. The San Francisco Division has been a ship manufacturing and repair yard and at times a ship conversion yard. In 1954, the yard merged with the Los Angeles Division to repair an inadequate diesel engine in the Swedish tanker Atlantic Queen using the newly furnished Todd policy of the "forward pass" way of repair to save the ship any lost time at sea. A major conversion project came to the Alameda yard in 1958 to change three Matson refrigerated C-3 Freighters to transport cargo vans. This reconstruction summoned for strengthening of the ship, mostly the decks and hatch covers, and for installations of definitive positioning, lashing, and locking devices up to 75 24-foot cases stowed. In 1959, the ten-year lease was ending and Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation purchased the shipyard from Matson for $1,650,000 hoping to benefit from the yard's continued successes.
The 1960s brought many large projects to San Francisco, including four Keystone T-2 tankers: Perryville, Tullahoma, Northfield, and Chancellorsville. A major milestone for the shipyard was the crafting of the largest drilling boat ever put afloat, the Wodeco IV. Building such an enormous boat required welding together two T-2 midbodies abreast; this allowed the rig to set an oil drilling record by drilling in 994 ft. of water off the California coast. In 1975, after a large force for more Navy repair work in secluded yards, the San Francisco Division completed extensive repair in the overhaul and modifications on the nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise. Like the other Todd shipyards, the San Francisco Division survived on constant Naval and merchant orders for ship conversions, ship repair, and shipbuilding. However, Todd had to downsize and the old Todd site is currently leased to developers for industrial and warehouse purposes.
Similar to other shipyards occupied in shipbuilding and reconstruction prior to the 1980s, Todd Shipyard San Francisco Division widely used asbestos products and Californians were routinely exposed to asbestos, resulting in many of today’s residents being diagnosed with asbestos related conditions. The exposure to asbestos was hazardous and many workers were unaware of its dangers. Those exposed to dangerous asbestos fibers included ironworkers, insulators, boil makers, plumbers, pip fitters, and electricians. Usually, employees were not issued facemasks, gloves, or protective items of clothing that would have kept them safe. After some time of neglect, asbestos occurrences are among the most regulated risks, with costs per case of cancer to the payment of $100 million. From 1988 to 1991, asbestos litigation spurred public action, as asbestos cases constituted the majority of all product-disadvantaged cases.
If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos at this facility we can help. Please fill out a form for a free online brochure or call us directly at 1-800-532-3764.
- David Greenstone, Founding Partner
