Asbestos in Hawai‘i

Asbestos in Hawai‘i is for Industrial and Commerical Uses

Asbestos is a natural mineral. Fortunately, Hawai‘i has no asbestos deposits or mines. All of the asbestos present has been shipped to Hawai‘i for industrial and commercial uses. Asbestos use in Hawai‘i can be traced to important historical events that have affected the islands.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard’s Asbestos Use Was Tremendous

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is considered a strategic location for the US. World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War meant a tremendous amount of activity at Pearl Harbor. With the many ships and submarines that have come through Pearl Harbor for overhaul and repair, and with many more ships homeported here, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard has the highest and longest use of asbestos in Hawai‘i. The first asbestos case filed in Hawai‘i in 1978 was by our founder, attorney Gary Galiher, representing a retired electrician from Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard who had mesothelioma.

Statehood in 1959 Brought a Construction Boom

After Hawai‘i became the 50th state of the union in 1959, construction boomed. Asbestos products were widely used. Workers have told us about the hundreds of bags of raw asbestos that were delivered to construction projects at various high rises in Makiki, Waikiki and other locations.

Widespread Asbestos Use Brought Mesothelioma to Hawai‘i

As a result of the widespread use of asbestos at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, the private shipyards like Dillingham and Kapalama, as well as in the construction trades through the mid to late 1970s and sometimes beyond, thousands of people in Hawai‘i have contracted mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases over the years. Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman has been successfully representing mesothelioma clients for over 35 years.

The Galiher law firm has gathered much evidence and maintains a huge library of documents and records from many Hawai‘i job sites, such as the power plants and refineries. These records show the extensive use of asbestos products at these various job sites and assist our firm in proving what companies’ products our mesothelioma clients were exposed to.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, even if you are unsure of how and where the asbestos exposure occurred, please contact us immediately so that we can help you.