New Jersey Sees 170 Mesothelioma Deaths Per Year. Here’s What’s Driving the Numbers.
New Jersey has a mesothelioma problem. The state ranks among the top ten in the nation for annual cases, with approximately 102 new diagnoses and 170 deaths every year. The rate of 0.9 per 100,000 residents exceeds the national average.
The reason traces back decades, to an industrial economy that made New Jersey one of America's manufacturing powerhouses.
Why New Jersey?
Three industries drove New Jersey's asbestos exposure crisis: shipyards, chemical plants, and oil refineries.
The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal and surrounding facilities employed thousands of workers in the mid-20th century. Shipyards along the Hudson and Delaware Rivers built and repaired vessels that used asbestos extensively in insulation, boilers, pipes, and fireproofing materials. Workers who bui...


