New Jersey Industrial Asbestos Exposure Sites

New Jersey’s industrial base — anchored by oil refining along the Arthur Kill waterway, chemical manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, and shipbuilding — created sustained occupational asbestos exposure for generations of workers. Asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, refractory materials, and friction products were standard at virtually every major New Jersey facility through the 1980s.

New Jersey hosts one of the highest concentrations of petrochemical facilities in the United States. The refineries and chemical plants lining the Raritan Bay and Arthur Kill corridors used asbestos-containing pipe insulation and refractory products extensively throughout the twentieth century.

Key New Jersey Industrial Regions

  • Linden / Perth Amboy corridor — Bayway Refinery (ExxonMobil), BASF chemical operations, Union Carbide facilities, Chevron terminals
  • Camden / South Jersey — New York Shipbuilding (closed 1967), Campbell Soup manufacturing, RCA Victor plant
  • Newark / Elizabeth area — Public Service Electric & Gas generating stations, Hess oil refinery, Port Newark industrial terminals
  • Middlesex County — Middlesex General Hospital, Johns Manville plant in Manville (primary New Jersey asbestos manufacturing site)

Documented jobsite pages will appear here as they are published.