Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, located in Ridgecrest (Kern County), California, in the Mojave Desert, operated as the US Navy’s primary center for weapons research, development, testing, and evaluation — including the development of the Sidewinder air-to-air missile, numerous naval aircraft weapons systems, and electronic warfare systems throughout the Cold War. Established as the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) at Inyokern in 1943 and subsequently expanded into the China Lake facility, NAWS China Lake occupied one of the largest federal reservations in the United States, encompassing test ranges, laboratory complexes, industrial facilities, and base support infrastructure built across multiple construction eras.

WWII-Era and Cold War Laboratory Facilities and Asbestos

China Lake’s laboratory and industrial building stock accumulated asbestos-containing materials:

  • WWII-era laboratory buildings — the original Naval Ordnance Test Station laboratory and research buildings constructed during the WWII and immediate postwar period used standard industrial and institutional construction materials of the era, including asbestos ceiling tile, asbestos floor tile, and asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the building mechanical systems. Personnel working in these original laboratory buildings throughout the Cold War research and development programs were in proximity to the aging WWII-era asbestos-containing construction materials
  • Weapons test and assembly facilities — the weapons assembly, propellant handling, and test article preparation buildings at China Lake used industrial building construction consistent with the era of their construction, with WWII-era and early Cold War industrial building stock incorporating asbestos insulation in roofing, mechanical systems, and industrial equipment
  • Maintenance and support facility buildings — the maintenance shops, vehicle maintenance facilities, and base support buildings at China Lake used WWII-era and Cold War industrial building construction with asbestos-containing roofing, insulation, and building products throughout

Propellant and Ordnance Handling Facilities

China Lake’s ordnance testing mission involved facilities with asbestos exposure potential:

  • Propellant handling facilities — the solid propellant processing and handling facilities at China Lake used specialized industrial construction for fire-resistance and safety, with asbestos-containing materials incorporated in the building construction for fire-resistant properties
  • Test range support buildings — the test range blockhouses, instrumentation buildings, and test control facilities on China Lake’s extensive test ranges used construction materials appropriate to their era of construction, with earlier test range facilities using asbestos-containing building products

VA Claims for China Lake Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval shore facilities. Navy personnel and veterans who worked at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (Naval Weapons Center, Naval Ordnance Test Station) in WWII-era or Cold War-era laboratory and industrial facilities and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.