Asbestos exposure is a serious issue for veterans of the Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force and Army personnel, a significant number of whom have come forward in recent years with mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases. Since the latency period for mesothelioma is decades (up to 50 years after exposure to asbestos), it is becoming especially common for veterans of World War II and the Korean Conflict to be diagnosed with an illness caused by asbestos exposure during their military service.

In the Service of Their Country

The only confirmed cause of mesothelioma, a fatal cancer, is asbestos exposure . Many veterans were exposed to toxic levels of asbestos on a daily basis as they were serving their country, in peacetime or in war. Some of the service members who had the highest risk of asbestos exposure were:

• Boiler room workers and others below deck of ships
• Construction workers
• Insulation installers
• Machinery repairmen
• Machinists' mates
• Shipyard workers
• Welders

Thousands of military personnel worked with asbestos-containing materials as they built or repaired ships, housing, machinery, and vehicles. There used to be literally thousands of products that contained dangerous levels of asbestos, including:

• Pipe materials for plumbing and ventilation
• Insulation for walls, ceilings
• Gaskets
• Adhesives
• Brake pads and clutches

Family Members of Veterans

The family members of veterans may also be at risk of contracting an asbestos-exposure disease. Asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma are not uncommon among such families, because the asbestos sometimes was carried home with the worker.

Asbestos is made of millions of microscopic-sized fibers that can shake loose from an asbestos-containing product, and these fibers can stick to the hair, clothing and shoes of someone in the area.

Asbestos Exposure Causes Cancer

Asbestos fibers are so small that they float suspended in the air for hours, even days. They cannot be seen unless there is a very dense cloud of them. The asbestos fibers become lodged in the lungs or elsewhere inside the body, where they begin a disease process that often takes years to manifest itself. Even veterans of the Vietnam War are now among the patient population with asbestos-related diseases.

Learn More about Asbestos Exposure and Veterans

If you're a veteran and concerned about asbestos exposure during your service, contact us today to obtain more information and learn about the resources available to you.