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Navy Asbestos Exposure

navy ships asbestosBecause of the need to keep the engines and boilers of Navy ships (including battleships, destroyers, submarines, and aircraft carriers) cool during exercises and tours of duty – not to mention the risk of taking on enemy fire – the U.S. Navy relied heavily on asbestos-based materials. As a result, U.S. Navy veterans have one of the highest rates of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. In fact, roughly one-third of mesothelioma cases involve a history of military service, mostly from the U.S. Navy. Members of the U.S. Merchant Marines also face similar asbestos-exposure risks.

Mesothelioma is a particularly aggressive form of cancer that affects the mesothelium lining surrounding the internal organs and the inside surface of the abdomen. Most cases, roughly 80 percent, involve the lining of the lungs; but mesothelioma also may occur in the lining of the heart or the abdomen. Since it generally takes several decades for the illness to take hold and exhibit symptoms – and asbestos was heavily used by the Navy from the 1940s through the 1970s – many who are at risk for mesothelioma may not even realize it. Also, asbestos exposures often continued to occur from service in the U.S. Navy up through the 1980s and 1990s when ships were repaired and overhauled without sufficient safety measures in place.
 

Asbestos-Exposure Risks in the Navy

Ships, both military and civilian, used asbestos for countless applications including engine rooms, turbines, boilers, pumps, valves, gaskets, packing, cables, pipes, and electrical equipment. Military ships also used asbestos-containing materials in ammunition rooms and the weapons themselves. Marines and other military personnel transported on military ships were also may have been at risk for exposure.

The likelihood of asbestos fibers becoming “friable” (exposed, airborne, and potentially inhaled) increased as ships got worn through use and age. The construction of ships – as well as their maintenance and eventual demolition – also raised the likelihood of the microscopic fibers becoming released into the air, compounded by the close quarters and limited ventilation of “lower deck” areas of ships. Asbestos exposure often occurred when Navy servicemen working below deck in the engineering spaces would service boilers, turbines, pumps and valves and have to disturb asbestos insulation and remove old gaskets and packing with tools. This work would cause asbestos dust to become airborne and increase the risk for mesothelioma.

Unfortunately, Navy servicemen typically did not receive any warnings about the hazards of asbestos either from the Navy itself or the manufacturers whose products contained asbestos and required the use of asbestos. Thus, Navy servicemen often avoided the known dangers of their military missions only to find out years later that they have mesothelioma from a hidden danger (asbestos) about which they never were informed.
 

The Navy Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program

As cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses among current and former Navy service members began to mount in the 1970s – and as the serious health risks of the fiber were better understood – the U.S. Navy implemented the Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program(AMSP). The AMSP maintains detailed records of U.S. military service members and civilian employees with a history of occupational exposure to asbestos. The program consists of ongoing testing and monitoring of these individuals’ health, including chest X-rays.
These records typically are included in a service member’s general health records, but you also may request your AMSP records.

The highly experienced attorneys from MesoLawyersCare have recovered more than $10 billion for people diagnosed with mesothelioma. Our firm has successfully represented many Navy service members and veterans suffering from mesothelioma as the result of exposure to asbestos from ships and shipyards. The MesoLawyersCare attorneys have obtained landmark jury verdicts and settlements in cases involving exposure to asbestos in the U.S. Navy. For more information or a free consultation, fill out the form on this page, have a live chat now with one of our representatives, or call our offices.
 

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Asbestos Exposure Information

 

Did You Know?

  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The highest award of compensatory damages ever upheld on appeal in a mesothelioma case is $30.3 million.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The largest punitive damages verdict ever upheld on appeal in a mesothelioma case is $18 million.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are over $30 billion in asbestos trust funds to compensate victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are more than 50 bankruptcy trusts accepting claims to compensate victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are many “asbestos dockets” that permit living mesothelioma patients to obtain a jury verdict in less than 1 year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In 2015, more than 2000 mesothelioma cases were filed in the United States.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In some mesothelioma cases, settlements can be obtained in less than 1 year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Thousands of different companies have been defendants in mesothelioma cases over the past 40 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma cases, the average life expectancy (median survival period) was 75.7 months, or over 6 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma patients, 73.8% were living after 3 years, and 65.3% were living after 5 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma patients, 64% were treated with HIPEC and cytoreductive surgery.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 303 pleural mesothelioma patients, the average life expectancy (median survival period) was 18.4 months.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of pleural mesothelioma patients, 73.1% were still living after 1 year, and 22.9% were still living after 3 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In 2015, the largest number of mesothelioma cases were filed in the following 10 courts: (1) Madison County, IL; (2) Cook County, IL; (3) St. Louis, MO; (4) Los Angeles, CA; (5) New York, NY; (6) Philadelphia, PA; (7) New Castle County, DE; (8) Middlesex County, MA; (9)Middlesex County, NJ; (10) Kanawha County, WV.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The states with the largest number of diagnosed mesothelioma cases are: New York, New Jersey, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are about 3000 mesothelioma cases diagnosed in the United States each year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    About 1 in 100,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with mesothelioma each year in the United States.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    More than 80% of all mesothelioma cases occur in the pleura (pleural mesothelioma).
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Less than 20% of all mesothelioma cases occur in the peritoneum (peritoneal mesothelioma).
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    About 22% of all mesothelioma cases occur in women.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    A history of asbestos exposure can be found in more than 80% of mesothelioma cases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    More than 30% of all mesothelioma patients in the United States were exposed to asbestos in the military.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma can be caused by laundering, or other household contact with, work clothing contaminated with asbestos.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma can be caused by work with (direct exposure) or around (bystander exposure) asbestos-containing products.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The average time between a person’s first exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma (latency period) is more than 40 years.
 

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Contact MesoLawyersCare Now

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please contact us to see if we can help you get the compensation you deserve from the billions of dollars in asbestos trust funds available now for qualified asbestos victims. With just one call, you can put all our experience and success to work for you.

We have represented thousands of victims of mesothelioma and their families in virtually every State in the country and in decades of work have recovered billions of dollars in financial compensation for our clients.

Call us now at 1-888-568-1177, fill out the form on this page or chat with a live person. The consultation is free and it costs nothing upfront to hire the lawyers behind MesoLawyersCare. We only get paid if you collect a settlement or verdict and you will never receive a bill from us.

 

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