Major Virginia Asbestos Exposure Sites
| Facility | Location | Industry | Peak Era | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. | Newport News | Shipbuilding (built USS Enterprise CVN-65; all Nimitz-class carriers; Virginia-class submarines) | 1886–present (ACM peak 1940–1975) | Critical |
| Norfolk Naval Station | Norfolk | Naval operations (world’s largest naval station; homeport for carrier fleet) | 1917–present | Critical |
| Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) | Portsmouth | Naval ship overhaul & repair (oldest U.S. naval shipyard, est. 1767) | 1940–1975 (peak) | Critical |
| Radford Army Ammunition Plant | Radford | Propellant manufacturing (extensive asbestos in high-temp process equipment) | 1940–1980s | High |
| Hercules Incorporated / Celanese (Hopewell) | Hopewell | Chemical manufacturing (nylon, rayon, propellants) | 1920s–1980s | High |
| Virginia Electric & Power (Dominion Energy) Plants | Statewide | Electric power generation | 1930s–1980s | High |
| Bethlehem Steel Shipyard (former) | Baltimore — workers commuted from Hampton Roads | Shipbuilding (Virginia workers) | 1940s–1960s | High |
| Richmond construction trades | Richmond | Commercial and industrial construction | 1950s–1980s | Moderate |
Newport News Shipbuilding — America’s Premier Naval Shipyard
Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company (now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries) is the largest privately owned shipyard in the United States and the only yard in the country capable of building nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The company has been continuously building Navy ships since 1886.
Newport News built:
- USS Enterprise (CVN-65) — world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (1961)
- All 10 Nimitz-class carriers (CVN-68 through CVN-77, 1975–2009)
- USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) — first Ford-class carrier (2017)
- Numerous cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and amphibious ships throughout the Cold War era
At its World War II peak, Newport News employed approximately 30,000 workers. Every vessel built before approximately 1975 was insulated throughout with asbestos — in boiler rooms, engine rooms, pipe systems, sleeping quarters, and electrical spaces. Insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, shipfitters, and electricians faced the highest occupational exposures. The yard has been a major asbestos litigation defendant for decades, and an asbestos-related trust exists for Newport News-related claims.
Norfolk Naval Station and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Naval Station Norfolk is the world’s largest naval station by operational ship count. It serves as the primary homeport for U.S. Atlantic Fleet carriers and surface combatants. Maintenance and repair work performed on ships while in port at Norfolk — by both Navy personnel and civilian contractors — involved significant asbestos exposure through the 1970s.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in Portsmouth, Virginia is the United States Navy’s oldest shipyard, established in 1767 (as the Gosport Navy Yard). It served as a major East Coast overhaul facility for battleships, carriers, and submarines during World War II and the Cold War. The confined spaces of submarine overhaul work at Portsmouth created particularly intense asbestos exposure for insulation trades.
Virginia Asbestos Regulations
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) administers asbestos regulations under the Virginia Asbestos Licensing Act and Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) standards:
- Asbestos contractor licensing: Required for all abatement contractors; Virginia DOLI maintains a searchable license database at doli.virginia.gov.
- Inspector licensing: Required for asbestos inspectors in Virginia; must hold Virginia DOLI asbestos inspector license in addition to AHERA accreditation.
- Notification: Virginia DOLI must be notified before projects disturbing ACM above NESHAP thresholds.
- Hampton Roads Air Quality: The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) oversees air emissions from asbestos abatement in the Hampton Roads region (home to the shipyards).
Virginia Statute of Limitations: 2 Years
Virginia provides 2 years from diagnosis to file an asbestos personal injury claim under Va. Code §8.01-249. Wrongful death claims also carry a 2-year SOL from the date of death. Virginia courts apply the discovery rule — the SOL begins when the plaintiff has sufficient information to connect the disease to asbestos exposure.
Asbestos cases in Virginia are primarily filed in the Circuit Courts of Hampton Roads cities (Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake). Virginia courts have substantial experience with asbestos litigation given the state’s shipbuilding history.
Virginia Mesothelioma Legal Help
Diagnosed after working at Newport News Shipbuilding, NNSY Portsmouth, or serving at Naval Station Norfolk? Significant compensation may be available.