New York City and Long Island asbestos exposure research
Shipyards, powerhouses, transit, construction, public facilities and large institutional workplaces created many different work histories. Start with the place, trade, project or years the family remembers.
Workplaces and records to explore
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Naval shipbuilding history, wartime trades and a New York asbestos court record.
Ravenswood Generating Station
NYSERDA history and a New York appellate record describing asbestos-insulation work.
Astoria Powerhouse
DEC site history and New York powerhouse testimony.
East River Generating Station
New York utility records and a court record involving powerhouse work.
Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
NIOSH construction evidence tying a named chrysotile product to pipe work.
Russell-Zuhl — New York City
NIOSH evidence concerning asbestos in pipe insulation and air sampling.
The details that make a workplace memory useful
Place and time
Employer, plant, building, department, project and approximate years.
Work
Trade, job title, daily duties, shutdowns, repairs and work done by nearby crews.
Equipment and materials
Boilers, piping, valves, pumps, turbines, electrical equipment, furnaces, insulation, brakes and building materials remembered from the work.
People and records
Coworkers, contractors, unions, Social Security records, photographs, specifications, manuals and public records can help corroborate the history.
Start with the memory, then follow the evidence
H&S does not require a family to identify an asbestos product before beginning. A workplace name, occupation, approximate year, machine or coworker can be enough to organize the next questions.
Explore the statewide New York research map → Start with what you remember →