Mesothelioma Veteran's Resources
History, Ships, & Shipyards
Asbestos
Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma. Asbestos related lung diseases including mesothelioma is a type of cancer that cannot be detected shortly after exposure. In fact, a diagnosis of mesothelioma appears many decades after the initial asbestos exposure. U.S. veterans who served in the military were exposed to the deadly fibers of asbestos in their daily routines and may develop mesothelioma decades after being exposed to asbestos.
Asbestos Exposure
There are many examples of asbestos exposure in military settings stretching from World War II until about the mid-1970s. Those serving in the Navy had significant asbestos exposure. Between 1930 and 1980, the Navy used large amounts of asbestos-containing products in ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and shipyards to take advantage of the excellent heat and fire-resistant properties it contained. The flame-retardant properties of asbestos made it an outstanding insulation for isolating compartments aboard a ship. At one time, the use of asbestos was mandated by the Navy, applying the carcinogen in at least 300 substances for construction and maintenance aboard warships, submarines and service at shipyards.
Asbestos-Containing Products
Heat resistance is of great importance in the engine room of a ship. For this reason, asbestos was used in the insulation and in many other products situated in engine rooms and also throughout the ship. Products like gaskets, valves, cables, cement and many other adhesives were made to contain asbestos. In addition to using these asbestos-containing products in engine rooms, they were also widely used in fire rooms, boiler rooms, navigation rooms, sleep quarters and mess halls.
Asbestosis
The Surgeon General of the Navy was aware of the fact that asbestosis was caused by continuous exposure to asbestos fibers. A report published by the Surgeon General covering the health conditions at the Brooklyn Navy Yard unveiled that the yard's pipe covers and insulation exposed workers to the lethal asbestos particles. Though this was known from as early as 1939, the Navy kept on using asbestos for almost four decades - ample testimony that human safety was disregarded for commercial interests.
Asbestos Was Everywhere
For many years, Naval workers were also exposed to deadly asbestos particles during their jobs in the construction, maintenance, demolition and renovation of warships and buildings, and most of the time at elevated levels. Navy personnel stationed aboard these asbestos-laden ships were frequently showered in asbestos dust. Though asbestos is not hazardous in its normal state, it became deadly when it was disturbed. Dry asbestos is brittle and tiny asbestos fibers are released into the air when it is broken. These particles can be inhaled easily and adhere to the internal lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. These fibers, which lie dormant for decades, cause deadly diseases like mesothelioma.
Asbestos Taken Home
Living in close quarters aboard ships and working in shipyards unavoidably caused asbestos products to be struck and asbestos particles being disturbed - thus led to the inhalation of the carcinogenic particles. Sadly, particles attached to clothing were regularly carried home and eventually even the family and friends of the Navy personnel were exposed to the lethal material.
Ships With Asbestos
Navy ships and various naval boats containing asbestos insulation and other asbestos laden materials include:
· Aircraft Carriers (warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a sea-going airbase.)
· Airships (a lighter-than-air (buoyant) aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust.)
· Amphibious Ships
· Auxiliary Ships
· Battleships
· United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
· Cruisers
· Destroyers
· Destroyer Escorts
· Escort Aircraft Carriers
· Frigates
· Minesweepers
· Patrol Boats
· Submarines
Asbestos-Containing Products
Naval records for asbestos-containing substances used in shipyards, ship repairs, and ship construction still exist and are used in studying asbestosis, mesothelioma and asbestos cases. Naval shipyard records, ship databases, ships history records, and war diaries are also used to identify specific products used. Many asbestos-containing products are used to identify Navy veteran's asbestos claims.
Asbestos products found on ships include
· Instruments
· Meters
· Panel
· Gaskets
· Insulating Materials
· Packing Material
· Prefabricated-Forms
· Tubes
· Cables
· Capacitors
· Paper-Dielectric
· Mixes
· Block Insulation
· Pipe Covering
· Adhesives
· Insulation Felts
· Thermal Materials
· Deck Covering Materials
· Refractory
· Mortar
· Aggregate Mixtures
· Rods
· Valves
· Boilers
· Grinders
· Bonds
· Compounds
· Bedding Compounds
· Coatings
· Packing Assemblies and Hydraulic Assemblies.
Asbestos Job Assignments
Jobs where veterans were exposed to asbestos include;
· Fire Control Technicians
· Boiler Technicians
· Construction Mechanics
· Electronics Technicians
· Damage Controlmen
· Enginemen
· And, many others.
Asbestos Shipyards
Navy shipyards involved with veterans asbestos claims include;
· Brooklyn Navy Yard (aka New York Navy Shipyard), Brooklyn, New York
· Charlestown Navy Yard (aka Boston Navy Yard), Boston, Massachusetts
· Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, California
· Mare Island Naval Shipyard (aka Mare Island Naval Station), California
· New London Shipyard (aka New London Naval Submarine Base), Groton, Connecticut
· Norfolk Naval Shipyard (aka Gosport Shipyard), Portsmouth, Virginia
· Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
· Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (aka Philadelphia Naval Base)
· Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
· Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Maine
· Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
· Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington
· San Francisco Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, California
· Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.
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