Puget Sound Bridge Yard
The Puget Sound Bridge Yard has become well known as a gross polluter over the years. This facility was first established in Seattle, Washington in 1898, and thousands of people have been employed at this site since it opened.
For years the facility was also known as the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, but in 1959 it was purchased by the Lockheed Corporation, and the name was officially changed to the Lockheed Shipyard. Unfortunately for Lockheed, the company took on more than it bargained for. Aside from assuming ownership of the facility, they also inherited the vast amount of pollutants and hazardous chemicals that were found at the work site.
This Seattle based yard has been cited for improperly storing toxic waste and for dumping these pollutants into nearby bodies of water illegally. During the 1970's, the facility received several warnings about this practice, but company executives chose not to stop. Environmental groups went after the owners of the Puget Sound Bridge Yard and raised public awareness about what was going on at the facility. Employees of the yard began to file lawsuits as they developed illnesses from being exposed to toxic materials.
Among the hazardous items found at the Seattle based site was asbestos. This naturally occurring mineral was used within insulation and other products that were utilized all over the facility, so people who were employed there were subjected to being exposed to the poisonous substance on a regular basis. Those who did spend time around the asbestos laden products were likely to breathe in small amounts of the material without even knowing about it. Anytime this happened, the asbestos dust would settle into the respiratory system, where it could become an extremely damaging force. Victims who breathed in the hazardous mineral often developed diseases, like the cancerous mesothelioma which has no cure and is sometimes lethal. Thousands of employees who were made sick because of their exposure to asbestos filed personal injury claims against the Lockheed Corporation, which had not warned the workers about the risks they were facing.
The owners of the site that was once known as the Puget Sound Bridge Yard are still dealing with a multitude of lawsuits, even though the plant was closed down in 1987. It can take many years for symptoms of the diseases associated with asbestos exposure to become noticeable, so many more claims may be filed against the company in upcoming years. Anyone who spent time at this yard should notify their doctor that they may have breathed in asbestos particles, and set an appointment for an examination right away.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
