Naval Shipyard Workers and Asbestos Cancer
In the years before and during World War II, thousands of naval shipyard workers were subjected to asbestos exposure at toxic levels. These men and women include both military personnel and civilians (sometimes known as "yardbirds") who spent months, often years, building and repairing the ships that were crucial to the war effort.
Naval Shipyard Workers in Other Eras
World War II naval shipyard workers were not the only people whose asbestos exposure was dangerously high; Navy shipyard workers who were active in peacetime, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War were also at risk, as were their family members. Inadequate asbestos safety precautions at any shipyard or other location where asbestos is used can produce diseases such as mesothelioma cancer and asbestosis.
Asbestos in Products Causing Cancer
Asbestos was commonly and widely used in both the vessels and in the shipyards themselves as an insulator, a fireproof material, and as a friction-resistant component of vehicles and machinery. Asbestos was nearly everywhere around navy ships, in applications such as:
- Welding blankets
- Insulation in housing and other buildings
- Boiler room products
- Wrapped around plumbing, ventilation, and electrical components
- Emergency generators
- Fireproofing spray
- Flooring
- Gaskets in flanged pipe joints
- Machine rooms
- Sprayed insulation
Naval shipyard workers faced asbestos exposure in numerous places, often without knowing the dangers associated with the toxic fibers. Asbestos fibers are microscopic and when inhaled, they can become lodged in the internal organs. Individuals who inhaled the fibers had no way of knowing, and by the time the symptoms of mesothelioma cancer or other asbestos cancer diseases appear, it's usually too late.
Asbestos Cancer and Naval Shipyard Workers
If you are a former naval shipyard worker concerned about possible asbestos exposure, or if you've been diagnosed with an asbestos cancer illness, contact mesothelioma treatment centers online today. We can provide you with information regarding possible resources and discuss your options for financing mesothelioma treatment.
Naval Shipyard Workers (english) / Trabajadores de Astilleros Navales (spanish)
