SS John A. Campbell Areas With Asbestos Exposure

The SS John A. Campbell was a Liberty Ship built by the United States to be used during World War II. It was laid down under a MARCOM contract by J. A. Jones Construction in Georgia and launched in August 1943. It was allocated to Moore-McCormack Lines Inc. after launch and laid up in the reserve fleet at Astoria, Oregon. The SS John A. Campbell was withdrawn from the fleet several times to be used as a grain transporter until July 1967, when it was sold to Universal Salvage and Construction to be scrapped. Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous substance with properties that make it an attractive material for use in construction and manufacturing. An overwhelming amount of evidence, however, has linked inhalation of microscopic asbestos fibers to cancer - most notably a rare disease called mesothelioma - and no level of asbestos exposure is safe. When inhaled asbestos fibers accumulate in the lungs and cause damage to the surrounding tissue, the body responds via a process called inflammation. Short-term inflammation doesn’t cause cancer, but people exposed to asbestos suffer from chronic inflammation that can last for decades because the body can not clear asbestos fibers from the lungs.