NAVY and SHIPYARD ASBESTOS EXPOSURE
Tragically, the single most devastated group of people in the epic asbestos tragedy is Navy veterans. Along with civilian Navy shipyard workers, Navy sailors were probably the most heavily exposed people during the peak years of asbestos use. Of the approximately 3,000 people diagnosed with mesothelioma every year, about one third of them were exposed to asbestos while serving in the Navy or working at a Navy shipyard. Asbestos was also widely used on commercial maritime vessels and in private, commercial shipyards. Click here to see a list of shipyards where asbestos was widely used.
On board ship, asbestos was used primarily to insulate piping, boilers, machinery and equipment in the engine rooms and fire rooms. Asbestos was also used to insulate overhead piping throughout the ship and in gaskets and packing used in the engineering spaces. These asbestos products were used on all types of Navy ships, but most widely on Aircraft Carriers, Battleships and Destroyers. Click here to see a list of Navy ships aboard which asbestos was widely used.
Navy firemen, boiler tenders and machinist mates were routinely exposed to asbestos when repairing and maintaining equipment in the engineering spaces. Those present during ship construction, overhaul or repairs at shipyards, including shipyard workers, Navy officers and seamen, were often exposed as well.
Asbestos-related diseases continue to take a heavy toll on Navy veterans and shipyard workers. Because mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases can take decades to develop, many veterans and shipyard workers are being diagnosed today with asbestos disease due to exposure that occurred a long time ago.
Naval records of asbestos-containing materials used in shipyards, ship construction and ship repairs still exist from years ago and are used in investigating mesothelioma and other asbestos cases. Ship databases, deck logs and ships history records are also used to identify asbestos products used on both Navy and private, commercial ships and at both Navy shipyards and commercial shipyards.
The large settlements and verdicts associated with asbestos cases are not accidental. Juries and courts who have reviewed the internal documents of asbestos manufacturers and sellers of these products are outraged by what many of these companies knew yet did not warn about the dangers of exposure to asbestos.
Please contact us to learn more about your legal rights. We have been helping Navy veterans, shipyard workers and merchant marines who have mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases for over a decade.