Why Veterans Face High Risk

Asbestos was valued for insulating hot pipes and boilers, protecting against fire aboard ships and reinforcing materials like cement, flooring and brake linings. Military specifications called for heat-resistant materials in many settings, and asbestos-containing products met those needs. As a result, it was present in engine rooms, barracks, hangars, motor pools and base utility plants. Few people at the time understood the long-term danger of breathing the fibers. Mesothelioma usually appears decades after exposure, which is why veterans who served in the mid-century years are still being diagnosed today, often long after they left the service.

Ships combined large amounts of asbestos insulation with tight, poorly ventilated spaces. Sailors lived and worked in the same compartments where pipes, boilers and turbines were covered in asbestos materials. Repairs and overhauls disturbed that insulation and released dust into the air. Shipyard periods, when vessels were refitted, could be especially heavy exposures, both for sailors aboard and for the civilians working on the ships. Because of this, Navy veterans are frequently discussed as a high-risk group. Still, veterans from every branch have developed mesothelioma, so no one should rule out exposure based on branch alone.

The VA recognizes asbestos exposure as a possible cause of service-connected illness, and mesothelioma is strongly linked to asbestos. That does not make approval automatic. A veteran generally needs to show a current diagnosis, evidence of exposure during service and a medical opinion connecting the two. Service in certain jobs or on certain ships can support the exposure piece. Separately, veterans may be able to file claims against the private companies that supplied asbestos products to the military. Understanding both paths early helps families make sure no available support is overlooked while the veteran is receiving treatment.

1. 1

   Write down every ship, base, unit and job you held during military service, with approximate dates.

2. 2

   Request your complete military personnel file, not only the DD-214, from the National Archives.

3. 3

   Tell your doctors about your military asbestos exposure so it appears in your medical records.

4. 4

   Contact an accredited veterans service officer to start a VA disability claim.