Veterans at Risk for Mesothelioma

Thousands of tons of asbestos were used between the 1930s and the 1970s by every branch of the military in almost every kind of repair, maintenance, and construction. Furthermore, practically every automobile, tank, aircraft, and ship contained some level of asbestos containing product. For example, electrical wiring insulation, clutch and brake pads for virtually every kind of vehicle used by the Air Force and Army contained some form of asbestos based material. Military barracks and military bases were repeatedly built and repaired with building products containing asbestos.

The Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines found even more uses for asbestos containing products than any other branches of the military. At one point, over 300 products that contain asbestos were used at some point in the shipyards and ships in the Navy alone. Asbestos was thought of as such a critical component of construction, that the Navy ordered its use in all newly built ships in 1939.

It was that same year that the Navy Surgeon General publicly acknowledged the harmful health effects of exposure to asbestos in a report regarding health conditions at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In this report the Surgeon General noted that extended asbestos exposure could lead to asbestosis, a typically fatal respiratory disease that often leads to cancer. Despite this new knowledge, the widespread usage of asbestos was continued by the military, demonstrating the complete lack of regard for human health hazards.

It wasn't until the mid-1970s that the military finally began to phase out asbestos based materials. This is most likely due to the fact that the public was becoming aware of the chemical's dangerous effects. Relative use continued through the 1980s and, despite complelling scientific evidence, continues even today, although in limited amounts. Many people believe asbestos usage was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) back in 1989. However the EPA's attempt at banning asbestos was reversed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1991. Sadly, to this day the military still uses asbestos based materials, and most likely will until regulations on this lethal substance in place and enforced.