Asbestos Exposure in the Navy – What You Should Know
When the young men and women of our country enlist in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, they are doing so at least in part because they want to defend our country and make a difference in the world. Whether they serve in a military combat zone or in a supporting role stateside, they know, going in, that their service to our nation may put them in harm’s way. Sailors in the U.S. Navy knew that their lives could be in danger at any moment on the high seas.
What these young Navy patriots do not know is that a deadly enemy lurked for decades in virtually every military post to which they might be assigned, whether on land or at sea – a product which, amazingly, is still not banned in the United States. These innocent sons and daughters (now our parents) were unknowingly exposed to a lethal toxin in the form of asbestos products used in practically every facet of military construction in every branch of the armed forces throughout the last half of the twentieth century.
Navy Asbestos Exposure & Cancer
Asbestos products contain microscopic fibers which, when released into the air, are breathed deep into the lungs where they can form scar tissue for years, eventually causing asbestosis and lung cancer or, at worst, the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma, for which there is no known cure.
Get Compensation for Exposure from Companies that Manufactured Products with Asbestos
While the lawyers at Baron & Budd don’t ever sue the United States military for a client’s exposure to asbestos in the military, we do pursue the manufacturers of the products that were used in the construction of everything from troop barracks to state-of-the-art aircraft carriers and submarines.
Those manufacturers were aware that asbestos was a known carcinogen as far back as the 1930s and yet, because asbestos was such an inexpensive and useful fire-resistant product, especially in military applications, they used it anyway, to the detriment of thousands of Navy personnel. In this post we will explore how members of the United States Navy were almost constantly exposed to asbestos in their daily work, and why you may be eligible for compensation from the companies who made the products and are ultimately responsible for your exposure.
Why Are Navy Veterans at Higher Risk of Asbestos Exposure than Other Military Branches?
Navy veterans are the most at-risk group for developing asbestos cancer and mesothelioma of all the service sectors, mainly because “fire at sea” has always been such a frightening hazard. At the time, asbestos was thought to be a miraculous fire-proof, insulating material that would increase fire safety onboard Navy ships, air craft carriers, submarines, and other sea-going vessels.
Consequently, asbestos was used throughout construction of the Navy’s fleet of vessels and vehicles during World War II and after, many of which are still in use today. Asbestos insulation was used in boiler rooms, sleeping quarters and mess halls, and in all manner of shipboard components, from electric boards in the radar towers and radio rooms to centrifuge units in the sick bay laboratories, from shipboard armaments to the kitchen ovens in which the daily bread was baked.
Which Components are Known to Have Contained Asbestos on Naval Vessels and Ships?
Products manufactured with asbestos that were commonly used on Navy ships include:
- Gaskets
- Insulation
- Floor Tiles
- Wires & Cable
- Grinders
- Pipes
- Thermal Heat Shields
- Welding and Machining Gloves & Protective Gear
- Sheet Metal
- Paneling for Walls and Ceilings
In the 1970s the Navy began to limit the amount of asbestos to which servicemen and women were exposed, but the utilization of asbestos materials throughout every aspect of Naval operations was so pervasive that its application continued for the rest of the decade and beyond, all the way into the 1990s in some cases. And even when the Navy issued directives to its qualified manufacturers to substitute non-asbestos gaskets, rope packing and other materials in the products they supplied, those manufacturers resisted, not wanting to incur the higher costs of more expensive substitutes.
Serving your country doesn’t mean enduring a deadly illness without possible compensation for your injuries. You will not be asked to sue the government or the military. We pursue compensation from the asbestos manufacturers who knew of its danger and imbued their products with the deadly carcinogen anyway. The young men and women who entered the military knew that their duty to their country might expose them to peril. But that peril should not have come from poisonous products made by American manufacturers.