Naval Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos health problems of veterans remain. Traditionally, non-combat injuries significantly outnumber combat-related injuries. Asbestos poisoning may be one of the most devastating such injuries. More on that below.

The military used asbestos for about a century. Tens of millions of people served in the armed forces during this period. In terms of asbestos use, the Navy was probably the biggest culprit, especially during the last half of the twentieth century. Kamikaze raids during World War II caused massive fires aboard combat ships. A string of accidental fires in the 1960s caused almost as much loss of life.

Economically, asbestos was the ideal solution. This mineral does not conduct heat or electricity. Furthermore, when refined, it is easy to use. The economic benefits to both the Navy and the companies that built Naval ships promoted them to overlook the known health risks of asbestos exposure. Asbestos poisoning illnesses, which usually surface decades after exposure, are devastating in every sense of the word. Therefore, a nationwide mesothelioma lawyer can obtain substantial compensation in these cases.

The Navy extensively used asbestos until about 1985. Therefore, any shipbuilder who worked on any Naval vessel during that period was exposed to asbestos. One microscopic fiber could cause a normally fatal disease, such as:

• Pleural Thickening: Asbestos fibers inflame the thick membranes in the pleural layer that surrounds the lungs. Occasionally, this inflammation is relatively minor. Much more often, it almost literally crushes the lungs, making breathing difficult even while resting. In other cases, pleural thickening is a precursor to mesothelioma.
• Mesothelioma: Toxic asbestos fibers alter cell DNA, causing dying cells to cling to life. That life extension may sound like a good thing, but it is not. Cells that should naturally die off siphon nutrients from other areas of the body, grow, and form tumors. The lung cancer tumor develops outside the lung, in the pleural layer. So, the tumor is difficult to detect, and the cancer is hard to treat.
• Asbestosis: Asbestos fibers also harm the body by burning airways inside the lungs. Since many of these airways are smaller than the tip of a pencil, a tiny amount of scar tissue blocks them altogether. A radical lung transplant can treat even advanced cases of asbestosis. However, many victims are in their 70s or 80s and, therefore, not good candidates for such a radical procedure.

The latency period for asbestos-exposure illnesses could be more than fifty years. No matter how much time has passed, an asbestos-exposure lawyer can generally still obtain maximum communication in these cases.

Direct exposure victims, like shipbuilders, are just the beginning. Refined asbestos is a crumbly substance. Dust and fibers easily seep through hairline cracks on surfaces. Therefore, as soon as sailors stepped aboard ships, they began breathing asbestos fibers. As a result, they are at risk for developing the aforementioned illnesses.

We must also include ambient (environmental) naval exposure victims. When shipbuilders returned from their shifts or sailors returned from deployment, they often unwittingly carried asbestos fibers with them, usually on their clothes or hair. Loved ones then inhaled these fibers.

Veterans who were exposed to asbestos usually submit VA disability claims. Available benefits usually include monthly cash payments and free medical care at any VA medical facility. Given the horrible nature of asbestos illnesses, the medical benefits are often more valuable than the cash benefits.

Survivors of deceased veterans, usually spouses and children, may be eligible for benefits as well if a service-related illness or injury caused the veteran’s death.

Non-veteran shipbuilders, or their survivors, often file civil claims against the asbestos provider. Companies have a duty to warn end users about all known side effects. The asbestos industry ignored this responsibility for many years. Because of the conscious indifference to the safety of other people, substantial compensation, including punitive damages, is usually available in these cases.

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced nationwide mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. We routinely handle these matters nationwide.