Mesothelioma in Navy Veterans

The U.S. Navy heavily used products containing asbestos from the 1930's to the mid-1970's. At one point asbestos was so prized that the Navy ordered the use of the toxic substance in over 300 construction materials.

Although used extensively in insulation and any product found an engine room, almost no section of Navy ships built before 1970 is asbestos free. Boiler and engine rooms, sleeping quarters, mess halls and navigation rooms, gaskets, valves, cables, cements and many others all contained asbestos.

In 1939, the Navy's Surgeon General became aware that asbestosis was being caused by extended asbestos exposure. The general submitted a report detailing both the health conditions and risks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, revealing that the yard's pipe covers and insulators exposed workers to hazardous asbestos dust. In spite of this revelation, the Navy continued its use of asbestos for close to four decades.

Many Navy personnel that took part in the construction, demolition, repair and renovation of buildings and ships were exposed to materials containing asbestos, in high volumes and for long periods of time. The sailors stationed aboard naval warships were almost always covered in asbestos dust, often having to shake the material from their bunks daily. Doing so would break the already brittle asbestos fibers on their bunks into a more easily inhalable dust - thus, increasing the risks.

Since the 1970s, much fewer asbestos-containing materials are used on newly built ships. However, sometime during the 90s, the Navy sold dozens of retired ships for scrap. The dismantling of the toxic laden ships took place mostly in ports where no protective measures are in place, and workers were not trained to handle asbestos.

Unfortunately, some naval ships still contain asbestos, since the material can be imbedded in brakes, gaskets, clutches and old construction material. Sadly, it would that until strongly enforced regulations are in place, the usage of asbestos will continue to infect and damage another generation of veterans.