Connecticut Mesothelioma by the Numbers: Submarines, Brake Plants, and Talc

Connecticut does not show up in most national mesothelioma rankings the way Pennsylvania or Washington State do, but the state’s industrial history has produced a steady burden of disease. Between 1999 and 2017, 715 Connecticut residents died of mesothelioma and another 314 died of asbestosis, according to EWG Action Fund’s analysis of CDC WONDER mortality data.

The industries behind those deaths are concentrated. The submarine yards in Groton, the brake and aerospace plants in Stratford, and the aerospace and insulation trades across Hartford account for most of the documented exposure. A Johnson & Johnson talc verdict out of Bridgeport added a separate, product-driven exposure pathway that Connecticut courts are now addressing in product liability trials.

Connecticut vs National Mortality

The national mesothelioma rate sits near 0.6 per 100,000. Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin lead the country at 1.2 per 100,000 or higher. Connecticut’s age-adjusted rate is not published in the same format in the sources we rely on, but the raw death totals from CDC WONDER place Connecticut squarely in the middle of the industrial Northeast alongside neighboring states with similar shipbuilding and manufacturing histories.

Where Exposure Happened

Electric Boat, Groton

General Dynamics Electric Boat has built submarines in Groton for more than a century and constructed 74 submarines at the Groton plant during World War II alone. Through the Cold War, the yard produced the USS Nautilus, the Thresher class, the Seawolf class, and the current Virginia-class attack submarines. Pipe insulation, boiler lagging, gaskets, and fireproofing all contained asbestos. Below-deck work in enclosed hull sections created concentrated exposure for pipe-coverers, insulators, shipfitters, electricians, and machinists.

When Dr. Irving Selikoff and his Mount Sinai team examined roughly 1,000 Electric Boat production workers in 1975 and 1976, about half showed X-ray abnormalities consistent with asbestos exposure. A 1984 follow-up study of 1,918 production workers documented excess mortality from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and lung and gastrointestinal cancers, with 356 deaths observed during the follow-up window. Mesothelioma was not broken out separately in that report, but the radiographic findings from the 1970s pointed to pervasive contamination.

Raymark Industries, Stratford

Raymark Industries, which operated as Raybestos-Manhattan, ran a brake and friction-material plant at 75 East Main Street in Stratford from 1919 until the plant closed in 1989. Raymark filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy that same year. Waste from the plant, including asbestos, lead, copper, PCBs, and solvents, was used as “free fill” across Stratford and neighboring towns.

EPA and state remediation work has identified contamination at a minimum of 46 residential properties and more than 24 commercial, recreational, and municipal properties. Remediation has extended to inland wetlands, tidal wetlands, coastal areas, Upper Ferry Creek, and the former Raybestos Memorial Field, with soil vapor mitigation installed in affected homes and commercial buildings. By May 2024, the EPA had removed more than 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated material using $113 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Sikorsky Aircraft and Pratt & Whitney

Sikorsky Aircraft, also in Stratford, is a documented asbestos exposure site tied to insulation, gaskets, and brake components used in helicopter manufacturing. Published settlement summaries include roughly $1.74 million for an 85-year-old former electrician with Sikorsky service between 1960 and 1970 and roughly $1.13 million for a 55-year-old plant worker with exposure from 1979 to 2005. Pratt & Whitney’s East Hartford aerospace operations used asbestos in similar roles, though individual case records for that site are less consistently reported.

Pre-1980 Construction Trades

Insulators, pipefitters, and electricians working on pre-1980 commercial, industrial, and public buildings across Connecticut handled asbestos pipe insulation, joint compound, floor tiles, and fireproofing. These trades account for a disproportionate share of mesothelioma cases nationwide.

Who Is Most at Risk

• Submarine builders at Electric Boat in Groton, particularly pipe-coverers, insulators, and shipfitters working in enclosed hull compartments
• Brake plant workers at Raybestos-Manhattan / Raymark in Stratford between 1919 and 1989
• Helicopter and aerospace workers at Sikorsky in Stratford and Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford
• Construction tradespeople working in pre-1980 commercial, industrial, and public buildings
• Family members of workers who brought asbestos home on clothing, a pathway documented in Connecticut appellate litigation

Legal Options for Connecticut Workers

Connecticut’s asbestos trust fund claims are particularly relevant for submarine builders, brake plant workers, and insulators. Many of the manufacturers whose products appeared at Electric Boat and Raymark established bankruptcy trusts that continue to accept claims.

Connecticut verdicts and settlements reflect the state’s industrial profile, including the $25 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson in the Plotkin talc case and a separate $15 million talc verdict against Vanderbilt Minerals in the Barone case, both out of Bridgeport Superior Court.