Veteran Asbestos Exposure, Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Millions of individuals have served the United States as members of the armed forces. Throughout the decades, these individuals have faced numerous hazards during their service, including exposure to toxic asbestos. Tens of thousands of veterans who worked with asbestos while in the United States Armed Forces have been diagnosed with some sort of asbestos-related disease, including asbestosis and mesothelioma, the latter a particularly difficult-to-fight asbestos cancer that affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), or heart (pericardial mesothelioma).

Some studies show that as many as 30 percent of all Americans with mesothelioma cancer are veterans who were exposed while on active duty.

Every branch of the U.S. military made use of asbestos in some way or another, largely because it was lauded for its incredible heat- and fire-resistant properties. For decades, it was considered the best insulator available, and because navy ships, planes, and other military equipment often involved heat and high temperatures, asbestos use was the best way to avoid potential disasters such as fires. The engine and boiler rooms of ships, for example, were prime locations for asbestos use, but the hazardous mineral could also be found in other locations, including sleeping quarters and the mess hall.

Asbestos covered pipes, it lined brakes and gaskets, and could be found in cements that were used for a variety of purposes. Veterans and civilian employees who worked in shipyards and aboard ships may have encountered toxic asbestos while serving as plumbers, electricians, welders, insulators, boilermakers, pipefitters, and more. Most worked without benefit of protective gear, making it easy to inhale hazardous asbestos dust, which would eventually scar the lungs and cause tumors that would - decades later - develop into mesothelioma.