Shipbuilding and Asbestos use.

While their may be little doubts about the merits of our once great shipbuilding industry, an industry that powered a country and right or wrong at one time the largest empire the world had seen.

An industry full of innovation and new technology for the time, making vast fortunes for the ones at the top all this came at a terrible price for the men who had to build the ships.

Working in conditions that were not conducive to good health shall we say, with one of the terrible materials being the wide use of red lead a paint coating used on all ships for many years? The dangers of lead are now well known.

 Above picture shows the lower bow unit of HMS HERALD being erected in 1974, with red lead paint all over used for protection and as a primer before the final finished coats of white paint would have her looking all ship shape and Bristol fashion. The date is correct it was only in 1974.

There was a worse material used with the knowledge of those involved in its continued use long after the dangers of using Asbestos were well documented, this knowledge was suppressed by successive governments and owners alike. White asbestos or blue asbestos it made little difference if inhaled into workers lungs.

Many men have paid the ultimate price and still many are afflicted with the results of working with asbestos, while the government lawyers produce reams and reams of paper-work and laws to try and prevent people making a claim for working with this fatal material. Mesothelioma  will result in a truly horrific way to died.

They are well aware that most if not all claimants will died off, the relatives will not have the wherewithal to continue the fight and the government of the day will not have to pay up or take responsibility yet again.

I often question what type of government treats its citizen so.

Anyone affected by this can contact the following organisation for help

My name is Bradley Welch and I work in the Public Outreach Department of The Mesothelioma Center (Asbestos.com).

Those who have worked on shipyards, ports and aboard ships were at risk of asbestos exposure and developing mesothelioma, a rare cancer that can take 20-50 years to develop. Our website features extensive information on asbestos and we work 1-on-1 with individuals to help them find local doctors, treatment centers and support groups all at no cost.

More information can also be found at the following - Please take a look at some of the great information we have at https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma or https://www.asbestos.com/occupations/shipyard-workers/

Public Outreach Team
The Mesothelioma Center

As is usual most of the above is aimed at U.S. Citizens not just shipyard workers but for anyone who served onboard any number of navy ships as they too were in danger.

In the U.K. you can go to the following - http://www.asbestosvictimsupport.org.uk/

http://www.clydesideactiononasbestos.org.uk/

The two links above are charitable organisations, as you have to be careful with many of the websites offering support on the internet are in fact just ambulance chasers, fat lawyers who want to take a stake of any compensation claim.

Leithshipyards website is more than pleased to be able to raise just a little bit more awareness on this terrible result of our shipbuilding past, no matter what country they all used the same materials long after they were well aware of the dangers of using such materials, all done in the name of profit.