General Dynamics Electric Boat

In 1899, General Dynamics Electric Boat was established by Isaac Rice as the Electric Boat Company. Rice, a businessman and investor, formed the company to help finance the construction of a 54-foot submarine called The Holland.

该船是由新泽西州-based engineer and inventor, John Philip Holland. In 1900, theU.S. Navy接受了荷兰，这导致了美国潜艇部队的开始。

1911年，电船收购了位于格罗顿的新伦敦船舶和发动机公司康涅狄格州to meet engine and ship building demand from the Navy. The格罗顿造船厂would become Electric Boat’s operational headquarters, as well as one of its most dangerous asbestos sites.

The Navy ordered submarines and other vessels from Electric Boat for World War I and World War II. After WWII, Electric Boat focused on building new submarines. Records indicate the company began usingasbestosaround 1950 to provide its vessels with heat-resistant insulation.

In 1951, the Navy contracted the company to build the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, known as the USS Nautilus. General Dynamics acquired Electric Boat the following year. The company name then changed to General Dynamics Electric Boat.

收购后，该公司继续在其潜艇中使用石棉。美国国家职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）进行的一份健康危害报告证实，电力船工人在1950年至1979年之间暴露于空降石棉中。电力船主要在其船只内使用石棉纤维。但是，一些证据表明该公司还使用了从1950年代到1990年代的石棉手套。

电船在其石棉使用期间扩展，为Swift Sea Travel设置记录并开发新的潜艇。该公司的军事伙伴关系保持稳定，并在康涅狄格州的运营和Rhode Island成长。

During this expansion, Electric Boat began monitoring its asbestos use. According to records, the company started conducting asbestos insulation dust surveys in 1968 to monitor facility air quality. Early copies were lost or destroyed, but Electric Boat has kept records of air monitoring studies since 1971 or 1972.

However, Electric Boat’s monitoring practices did not prevent employees from experiencingasbestos exposure。In the mid-1970s, employees began to fileasbestos personal injury claims反对公司。

这些说法并没有抑制电船的增长或军事合同。海军继续从公司委托更快，更安静，更先进的潜艇。这些合同总计数十亿美元。

Despite ongoing litigation today, the company is still operational and continues to have a strong relationship with the Navy.

02. Asbestos Products

General Dynamics Electric Boat Asbestos Products

通用动力学电船asbestos-containing productsin boat and submarine construction. Electric Boat did not manufacture these products, but sourced them from other asbestos companies. The asbestos products were used to resist heat, fire and pressure.

最常见的是，电船在其产品中使用石棉布和绝缘材料。从1959年到1975年，Raybestos-Manhattan向公司提供了石棉布。电船每艘海底使用约90,000平方英尺的石棉布。文件显示，这块布可能已在555套潜艇中使用。

The company also contracted with Cummings Insulation. Records from the early 1960s to the early 1970s report Electric Boat purchased $250,000 worth of asbestos-containing products from Cummings Insulation each year. This insulation contained up to 90% asbestos.

Electric Boat used several kinds of asbestos insulation, including spray-on hull insulation, pipe insulation and duct insulation.

电船使用的石棉产品包括但不限于：

• Asbestos cloth
• Asbestos gloves
• Boilers
• Exhaust systems
• Gaskets
• Insulation
• Pumps
• Thermal system insulation
• 阀

03.职业曝光

General Dynamics Electric Boat and Occupational Exposure

电船在海底建筑的许多组件中使用石棉产品。这种广泛使用的领导员工multiple occupations to experience asbestos exposure。

Records show Electric Boat used asbestos in its vessels from the 1950s into the late 1970s. Additionally, asbestos gloves were in use at company facilities until the 1990s.

In 1972, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued法规requiring asbestos materials be labeled as a health risk. However, these warnings were placed on the exterior packaging and may not have been seen by those installing, maintaining or removing the products.

According to reports, Electric Boat employees who worked for the company for eight or more years were most commonly overexposed to asbestos. Workers were most at risk during submarine overhauls and maintenance.

04.石棉诉讼

石棉诉讼针对通用动力学电船

自1970年代中期以来，电船参与asbestos-related lawsuits。前雇员对电船的案件通常属于《长岸和港口工人赔偿法》的管辖范围。该法案最初成立于1927年，旨在为在工作过程中受伤或残疾的海事工人提供报道。

Currently, asbestos exposure is covered by the act. Affected employees who successfully prove their exposure happened during maritime work or service may be entitled to compensation. Typically, this is calculated as a percentage of the employee’s average weekly pay during their service.

Workers who were not exposed to Electric Boat asbestos products during maritime work may still beeligible for compensation。Exposure to Electric Boat asbestos products occurred among workers from a variety of fields. For instance, cleaners and painters present in the construction facilities during submarine retrofitting and maintenance also reported asbestos exposure.

Other employees may have been exposed when working more directly with asbestos. One such claim came from Ernest Green, a full-time employee at Electric Boat from 1949 to 1978.

Green was diagnosed withmalignant mesothelioma1989年7月，同年12月死于该疾病。他的妻子提出了索赔工人赔偿death benefits. In 1993, she was awarded death benefits at a weekly rate based on Ernest’s last wages at Electric Boat.

电船对这一决定提出上诉，尽管它确实承认了欧内斯特在电船上的工作导致他的石棉暴露和mesothelioma diagnosis。The court ultimately found in favor of Green. It has been remanded to the appellate court to calculate the weekly death benefits to be awarded to the Green family.

Electric Boat continues to be named in asbestos-related lawsuits today. The company pays successful claimants with its own funds.