Connecticut Asbestos Exposure Sites — Electric Boat, Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky & GE

See the full list of known Connecticut asbestos exposure sites.

Connecticut has one of the most significant industrial asbestos exposure histories in the United States. The state's dense concentration of defense manufacturing, aerospace, shipbuilding, and industrial facilities employed hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the 20th century — and for decades, asbestos was woven into the fabric of nearly every major facility.

Mesothelioma, the cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure, has a latency period of 20 to 50 years. Workers who were exposed at these facilities in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are still receiving diagnoses today. Connecticut recorded 715 mesothelioma deaths between 1999 and 2017, and new diagnoses continue to emerge from the state's industrial workforce. Learn more about what mesothelioma is and how it develops.

If you or a family member worked at any of the facilities below and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you may have significant legal rights. Jazlowiecki & Jazlowiecki LLC has been handling Connecticut mesothelioma litigation for over 22 years. Founding partner Edward Jazlowiecki holds a degree in Chemical Engineering in addition to his law degree — giving the firm a scientific understanding of asbestos and the specific products used at Connecticut facilities that most mesothelioma attorneys simply do not have.

• •Naval Submarine Base New London — Groton
• •Raybestos-Manhattan Inc. / Raymark Industries — Stratford (Superfund site)
• •Hartford Steam Boiler — Hartford
• •United Technologies — Hartford
• •Millstone Nuclear Power Station — Waterford
• •Pfizer Chemical — Groton
• •United Illuminating — New Haven
• •Yale University — New Haven (pre-1980 building construction)
• •New Haven Coliseum — New Haven
• •Remington Arms Company — Bridgeport

Also see our blog: Connecticut Asbestos Exposure Sites — full list.

Asbestos was used extensively in automotive brake linings, disc pads, and gaskets until as late as the 1990s. Many brake shoe linings contained up to 70% asbestos. Mechanics who inspected, replaced, or ground brake components were exposed to significant asbestos dust. Major manufacturers of asbestos-containing brake and automotive products included:

• •Bendix — one of the largest manufacturers of asbestos brake linings and automotive friction materials
• •Raybestos (Raybestos Manhattan) — a major brake lining manufacturer and member of industry groups that suppressed asbestos hazard warnings from the 1940s onward
• •American Brakeblok (Abex) — brake shoe lining manufacturer
• •Wagner Electric — brake and friction material manufacturer
• •Johns Manville — one of the largest asbestos product manufacturers in the US, now subject to a major asbestos trust fund
• •Gatke Corporation — asbestos friction materials
• •Maremont (Grizzly Brakes) — automotive brake components
• •EIS (Electrical Insulation Suppliers) — friction and brake materials
• •Fomoco (Ford Motor Company OEM parts)
• •Delco (GM OEM brake parts)
• •Mopar (Chrysler OEM brake parts)

Mechanics who worked on vehicles from the 1930s through the early 1990s — including auto mechanics, fleet maintenance workers, and military vehicle mechanics — may have been exposed to asbestos dust from these products.

Pipe fitters, boilermakers, electricians, and insulation workers throughout Connecticut regularly handled asbestos-containing materials on construction sites, in commercial buildings, and in industrial facilities. These trades are among the most heavily represented in mesothelioma diagnosis statistics.

Connecticut workers most likely to have been exposed to asbestos include:

• •Submarine construction workers — pipe fitters, insulators, boilermakers, electricians, and shipfitters at Electric Boat
• •Aerospace and aircraft engine workers — machinists, assembly workers, maintenance staff at Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky
• •Helicopter manufacturing workers — assembly, blade shop, and maintenance workers at Sikorsky
• •Construction tradespeople — insulators, pipefitters, electricians, and carpenters working in pre-1980 buildings
• •Navy veterans — personnel who served on submarines built at Electric Boat
• •Family members — secondary exposure from asbestos brought home on work clothing