Asbestos Mesothelioma a Problem for Veterans

July 21, 2009

Washington, DC While the link between asbestos exposure and the onset of asbestos mesothelioma has long since been established, an ongoing concern surrounds the prevalence of asbestos in the military and the potential for mesothelioma cancer stemming from asbestos exposure.



According to the website VetFriends.com, a social and advocacy site serving and connecting just under a million current and former members of the armed forces, military structures are prime suspects for lurking asbestos due to the fact many of the military buildings were put up prior to 1970.



The most concentrated use of asbestos, according to the site, has been in the Navy due to the widespread use of asbestos insulation on engine room pipes and boilers and piping throughout the ship, together with other applications on vessels commissioned between 1930 and the early 1970s.



This observation appears to be borne out by the case of the late Gerald Gray who, according to a report in asbestos.com joined the Navy in 1951 and toiled on several ships throughout his Navy career. He retired from the Navy 20 years later and became a schoolteacher. Some 37 years later the former Navy man was diagnosed with mesothelioma and died at the age of 75 in April of this year.



His family sued five manufacturers thought to be responsible for a combined total of $4 million. After four manufacturers settled with the family out of court, the lone remaining defendant—John Crane Inc.—was apportioned 30 percent of the blame by a jury at trial. The verdict was for $1.2 million.



While the US Department of Defence has an active asbestos management and abatement program in place, the damage through prior exposure to asbestos has already been done. While the present danger is lessened through controlled asbestos abatement protocols and the de-commissioning of older ships, the long latency periods for mesothelioma (as long as 50 years in some cases) suggests mesothelioma cancer will remain an issue for some time.



While asbestos is no longer used in most modern-day applications, its presence from a time when it was actively used continues to be a concern—especially when asbestos fibers are disturbed. And in some parts of the world the material is still actively being used. According to an item in asbestosnews.com back in January, components manufactured with asbestos are still being used by the Australian Navy. The January 19th edition of asbestosnews.com attributes the allegation to the Australian news agency 'The Age,' which disclosed that asbestos-containing components are still a factor in active ship repair in that country.



VetFriends.com makes the observation that of all the diagnosed cases of asbestos mesothelioma in the US, nearly a third are US veterans.