The uncounted legacy of asbestos

Alabama’s robust industrial and military infrastructure boasts a rich history of economic progress that is thoroughly manifested in official records. The factories that powered manufacturing, as well as the shipyards and facilities that supported commerce, and the military installations that bolstered the country’s security, have all cemented a place in the state’s remarkable narrative.

Yet unknown to many, alongside these achievements exists another legacy that has received far less attention — the widespread use of asbestos. Once valued for its tremendous heat resistance, chemical bond, and low cost, such a natural mineral has become a mainstay in countless workplaces, especially throughout most of the 20th century.

Regrettably, what was initially celebrated as an industrial innovation later revealed a far more alarming reality: Decades of scientific research have linked asbestos to life-threatening diseases, many of which do not develop until years — or even decades — after initial contact.

Though asbestos exposure has impacted nearly all communities across the country, Alabama’s industrial and military footprint has made the state particularly susceptible to long-term repercussions. That is because since the late 1800s, such a natural mineral had already been mined and utilized to produce materials integral to manufacturing, shipbuilding, construction, power generation, chemical processing, insulation, and fireproofing.

However, researchers discovered over time that inhaling or ingesting its microscopic fibers can eventually lead to debilitating ailments, most notably lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural mesothelioma — a rare yet aggressive malignancy that predominantly grows in the thin tissue surrounding the lungs.

And because these conditions are notorious for their extended latency periods, many individuals may only be diagnosed long after the circumstances that placed them at risk have faded from memory.

Notwithstanding the regulatory measures that have significantly curtailed asbestos use in recent decades, the crisis has not been completely resolved, as a substantial concentration of the mineral remains embedded in aging buildings and equipment constructed before such risks were acknowledged.

As a result, exposure continues to be a concern for countless workers — especially for more than 1.3 million individuals in construction and general industry who may still encounter asbestos during renovation, maintenance, and demolition activities.

The broader impact of this crisis has been reflected in statewide mortality data. Between 1999 and 2017, Alabama recorded an estimated 3,845 asbestos-related casualties — including 2,464 attributed to lung cancer, 802 to asbestosis, and 616 to mesothelioma. These figures demonstrate that asbestos is not merely a relic of the past in Alabama.

Rather, its burdens continue to surface decades after exposure occurred — thereby affecting workers, veterans, families, and communities across the state.

For all that is known about the dangers of asbestos, one critical gap remains largely unresolved — there is still no comprehensive system capable of tracking exposure histories and long-term health outcomes across affected populations. Instead, much of this information remains dispersed among institutions that operate independently from one another.

Likewise, the same challenge extends to veterans and military personnel. That is because, beyond the trust fund system, exposure-related documentation is also dispersed across agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Health Agency, each of which holds separate logs tied to military service as well as healthcare utilization and disability benefits.

But though these databases contain critical pieces of the asbestos story, they do not operate within a common framework capable of connecting exposure histories to long-term health outcomes. As a result, information that could help identify disease patterns as well as high-risk populations and emerging trends remains fragmented — a reality that has effectively created a shadow registry of asbestos exposure.

Bringing these records together should be a national priority.

To accomplish this, federal policymakers should establish two complementary registries — a national mesothelioma registry for veterans and activeduty personnel, and a national occupational asbestos exposure registry for workers and their families.

For Alabama, such a framework would do more than organize data. It would transform decades of disconnected records into a clearer understanding of asbestos-related harm — helping ensure that workers, veterans, and even communities affected by exposure are no longer hidden within the shadows of fragmented systems.

Jonathan Sharp is CFO at Environmental Litigation Group P.C., a legal firm in Birmingham that continues to extend assistance to victims of toxic exposure, including those affected by asbestos contamination.