Asbestos was used across every state in the country throughout the twentieth century, but the combination of heavy industry, major shipyard operations, naturally occurring deposits, and large populations placed certain states at the top of every measure of asbestos exposure risk and mesothelioma mortality. If you live or worked in one of these states, understanding the specific exposure risks and your legal rights could make a meaningful difference in your health and financial future.
At The Williams Law Firm, P.C., Attorney Joseph P. Williams has spent more than 30 years representing mesothelioma victims and their families throughout New York, New Jersey, and across the country. If you or a family member has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, contact our firm today for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
Several factors contribute to a state’s overall asbestos exposure risk: the presence of naturally occurring asbestos deposits, the historical concentration of high-risk industries including shipbuilding, oil refining, steel production, and construction, the total and per-capita rates of mesothelioma and asbestosis mortality, and the volume of documented asbestos job sites and contaminated properties. Understanding what asbestos is and why it poses such a long-term threat helps explain why these states continue to produce high rates of diagnosis today for exposures that occurred 30 to 50 years ago.
It is also worth noting that American Indian Reservation lands across multiple states face elevated asbestos risks from both naturally occurring deposits and legacy industrial contamination, representing a frequently overlooked dimension of the national exposure picture.
California leads all states in total mesothelioma-related deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1,000 California residents die annually from mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer. Since 1999, over 20,000 Californians have died from asbestos-related illnesses, the highest total of any state.
Multiple factors combine to make California the nation’s top asbestos exposure state. It has the largest population of any state, which produces the highest absolute case counts. It is also home to naturally occurring asbestos deposits in 45 of its 58 counties, concentrated in serpentine rock formations across the Sierra Nevada foothills and Coast Ranges. The Clear Creek Management Area in San Benito County sits on a 31,000-acre serpentine deposit that was once the site of the Atlas Asbestos Mine and continues to be visited by thousands of campers and hikers each year.
California’s high-risk industries include petroleum refining and oil production along the Central Coast and Bay Area, naval shipyards in San Diego, Long Beach, and the San Francisco Bay, aerospace and defense manufacturing, and construction in major urban centers. Workers in these high-risk occupations faced decades of asbestos exposure through insulation, gaskets, pipe covering, and structural fireproofing materials.
Pennsylvania records the second-highest rate of asbestos-related deaths in the country. Between 1999 and 2018, over 14,000 Pennsylvania residents died from mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer. The state earned an unfortunate nickname as the “Asbestos Capital of the World” due to its history of large-scale asbestos mining and processing operations.
The town of Ambler, Pennsylvania, was home to major asbestos processing facilities for decades. Even after those mines and factories closed, Ambler and surrounding communities continue to deal with environmental contamination and elevated rates of asbestos-related illness among former workers and residents who lived near the facilities. Four large amphibole asbestos mines operated throughout the state, supplying raw material to the broader manufacturing economy.
Beyond mining, Pennsylvania’s industrial base in steel production, shipbuilding along the Delaware River, locomotive manufacturing, and large-scale commercial construction all contributed heavily to worker asbestos exposure throughout the mid-twentieth century. Steel mill workers, pipefitters, boilermakers, and construction tradespeople in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and across the state faced sustained occupational exposure over entire careers.
Florida ranks third despite having no naturally occurring asbestos deposits. Between 1999 and 2013, over 14,000 Florida residents died from asbestos-related diseases. Large quantities of asbestos were shipped from Pennsylvania and other mining states to Florida processing facilities in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Boca Raton, Jacksonville, and Pompano Beach throughout the twentieth century. Asbestos also entered the state through asbestos-containing products used in construction throughout the state’s rapid growth period.
Florida’s extensive coastline made it a major center for shipbuilding, ship repair, and offshore oil drilling — industries that relied heavily on asbestos insulation throughout the mid-twentieth century. Jacksonville, Tampa, and Port Canaveral were home to significant naval and commercial shipyard operations. Power plants, phosphate processing facilities, and large-scale construction projects further contributed to occupational exposure across the state. Veterans treated at the Orlando VA Medical Center and other Florida VA facilities represent a significant population of asbestos-exposed workers receiving care in the state today.
New York is the fourth-highest state for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma mortality. Between 1999 and 2013, over 12,000 New York residents died from mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer. New York was among the first states to incorporate asbestos extensively in major construction projects and actively imported the material from overseas sources during the twentieth century’s building boom.
New York City alone contains thousands of documented asbestos exposure locations. Pre-1980 skyscrapers and high-rise construction throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx used asbestos in structural fireproofing, pipe insulation, ceiling tiles, floor coverings, and joint compound throughout their mechanical systems. The Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Staten Island Shipyard, and other major waterfront facilities exposed generations of shipyard workers to asbestos. The World Trade Center towers, constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, used asbestos extensively before its use was halted mid-construction, and their destruction on September 11, 2001, released significant quantities of asbestos fibers into lower Manhattan.
New York’s manufacturing base in the Hudson Valley, power generation facilities upstate, and the full breadth of the building and construction trades throughout the state created sustained occupational exposure across hundreds of documented New York asbestos job sites. New York is also home to the New York City Asbestos Litigation docket (NYCAL), one of the most active asbestos litigation courts in the country.
Texas ranks fifth in asbestos-related deaths. Between 1999 and 2013, nearly 12,000 Texas residents died from asbestos-related diseases. Unlike California or Pennsylvania, Texas has both naturally occurring asbestos deposits and significant industrial importation of the material through its large petrochemical and manufacturing economy.
The petroleum refining and petrochemical industry concentrated along the Gulf Coast in Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Corpus Christi exposed generations of refinery workers to asbestos-insulated pipes, vessels, and heat exchangers. Texas’s military installations and naval operations, particularly in the Corpus Christi area and along the Gulf, contributed veteran exposure. Steel manufacturing, chemical plants, shipyards, and automobile manufacturing operations throughout the state all used asbestos-containing materials extensively during peak production decades.
Some Texas companies have a documented history of improper asbestos disposal in landfills, which has created environmental exposure risks for communities surrounding former industrial sites beyond direct occupational contact.
Regardless of which state you live or worked in, if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. More than 60 active asbestos trust funds currently hold billions of dollars specifically for victims and their families, established by manufacturers whose products caused occupational and residential asbestos exposure across all five of these states and beyond. Civil litigation against solvent defendants is also available in parallel with trust fund claims.
Statutes of limitations vary by state. In New York, mesothelioma personal injury claims must generally be filed within three years of diagnosis. In New Jersey, the window is two years. In Texas, California, and most other states, the window is two to three years from the date of diagnosis or discovery. The moment a diagnosis is received, the clock begins. Contacting an experienced mesothelioma attorney as quickly as possible after diagnosis is the single most important step to protecting your legal rights.
Attorney Joseph P. Williams has dedicated his entire 30-year legal career to asbestos and mesothelioma litigation, representing victims and families from New York, New Jersey, and across the country, including from all five of these high-exposure states. He has never lost a mesothelioma case and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for those harmed by asbestos exposure. The firm handles all cases on a contingency fee basis, and Attorney Williams will come to your home. Reach out through our contact form to schedule a free consultation today.
California has the highest total number of mesothelioma-related deaths of any state, driven by its large population, naturally occurring asbestos deposits in 45 of its 58 counties, and concentration of high-risk industries including shipbuilding, petroleum refining, aerospace, and large-scale construction. However, states like Maine and Wyoming have higher per-capita rates of mesothelioma mortality due to concentrated industries like shipbuilding and energy extraction relative to their smaller populations.
New York’s high mesothelioma rate reflects its role as the nation’s primary construction and commercial center during the decades when asbestos use peaked. Pre-1980 high-rise and commercial construction throughout New York City used asbestos extensively in structural fireproofing, pipe insulation, ceiling tiles, and floor coverings. Naval shipyards at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Staten Island exposed thousands of workers. Industrial operations throughout the Hudson Valley, upstate power plants, and the full range of building trades created sustained occupational exposure across hundreds of documented job sites.
Yes. In all five of these states, millions of buildings constructed before 1980 still contain asbestos in insulation, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe lagging, roofing materials, and other building components. The 2024 EPA ban on chrysotile asbestos applies to new uses only — asbestos already installed in existing buildings is not subject to mandatory removal. Renovation and demolition work on pre-1980 buildings continues to represent one of the primary ongoing exposure risks in all five states.
Yes. Mesothelioma claims can typically be filed in the state where the exposure occurred, the state where the responsible manufacturers are headquartered or did business, or the state where you currently reside. Many mesothelioma cases involve exposure in multiple states over a career. An experienced asbestos attorney can evaluate your specific exposure history and identify the most favorable jurisdictions for pursuing your claims. The Williams Law Firm represents clients throughout New York, New Jersey, and nationwide regardless of where the original exposure occurred.
In New York, the statute of limitations for mesothelioma personal injury claims is three years from the date of diagnosis. For wrongful death claims, the deadline is two years from the date of death. In New Jersey, both personal injury and wrongful death claims must generally be filed within two years of diagnosis or death respectively. Both states apply the discovery rule, meaning the clock starts when you knew or should have known your illness was caused by asbestos exposure, not from the date of the original exposure. Given mesothelioma’s long latency period, many workers exposed decades ago are still within the filing window today.
As the founding partner of Williams Law Firm, Joseph P. Williams has dedicated over 30 years to representing mesothelioma victims and their families. His firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for those affected by asbestos exposure, offering personalized, aggressive legal advocacy. Based in New York, Williams Law Firm provides free consultations and handles cases nationwide.
