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Our Patient Advocates can help guide you or your loved one through the steps to take after a mesothelioma diagnosis. Our team has a combined experience of more than 30 years in assisting cancer patients, and includes a medical doctor, an oncology registered nurse and a U.S. Navy veteran.
Military veterans make up 30% of the mesothelioma cases diagnosed each year. The U.S. Navy used more asbestos than any other military branch. Navy veterans developed mesothelioma cancer as a result of exposure to asbestos products in ships, shipyards and on military bases.
Watch: Former US Army Captain Aaron Munz explains what help the Mesothelioma Center can provide to veterans and their loved ones.
The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com has provided patients and their loved ones the most updated and reliable information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure since 2006.
Our team of Patient Advocates includes a medical doctor, a registered nurse, health services administrators, veterans, VA-accredited Claims Agents, an oncology patient navigator and hospice care expert. Their combined expertise means we help any mesothelioma patient or loved one through every step of their cancer journey.
More than 30 contributors, including mesothelioma doctors, survivors, health care professionals and other experts, have peer-reviewed our website and written unique research-driven articles to ensure you get the highest-quality medical and health information.
Asbestos exposure occurred among naval personnel because the Navy used asbestos throughout ships and shipyards for its fireproofing ability and resistance to salt corrosion. All Navy veterans were at risk of exposure because asbestos products were so widely used on vessels and in shipyards.
Navy personnel who performed maintenance and repair tasks on equipment, pipes and pumps faced the highest levels of exposure. Those who worked with lagging and other forms of asbestos insulation on pipes, pumps and boilers also endured significant levels of exposure.
Vessels constructed before the 1980s may contain legacy asbestos products that still pose an exposure risk to anyone performing repairs or decommissioning ships. Naval shipyard workers remain at risk of asbestos exposure to old materials that may have been covered up rather than completely removed.
Veterans who made repairs and maintained equipment often faced the highest levels of asbestos exposure. All roles that involved working on or around asbestos insulation put sailors at great risk. Some Navy service members even wore equipment made of asbestos cloth including protective gear for firefighters and heat-resistant gloves for sailors manning gun turrets.
U.S. Merchant Marines were civilian mariners who faced similar asbestos exposure to naval veterans on U.S. Liberty ships. Merchant mariners who served outside of World War II do not qualify for VA benefits, but they may be eligible to file other legal claims for asbestos exposure.
Navy Jobs Historically Associated with Asbestos Exposure:
Civilian shipyard workers who overhauled or disassembled Navy ships also have an elevated risk of asbestos-related illnesses. Taking vessels apart and putting them back together disturbed asbestos materials that had become old and brittle.
Further, when the Navy sold many older ships for scrap in the 1990s, they often sent the ships to ports where workers were not properly trained to handle asbestos. This caused more needless exposure.
Installing and working with the following asbestos products released high concentrations of toxic dust into the enclosed spaces of Navy vessels. Naval shipyard workers often returned home at the end of the day covered in asbestos dust, causing secondary asbestos exposure among their family members.
Aboard Navy vessels, the tight quarters and poor ventilation allowed asbestos fibers to accumulate where service members worked, ate and slept. This extended the exposure to sailors who did not work directly with asbestos. U.S. Marines being transported on Navy ships were also affected.
Asbestos Products Used in the Navy:
Inhaling asbestos dust can cause life-threatening diseases later in life such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
In 2019, the International Journal of Radiation Biology published a study of mesothelioma rates in about 114,000 veterans involved in nuclear weapons testing between 1945 and 1962. Researchers found radiation exposure was not a significant risk factor for mesothelioma. Rather, the study confirmed the highest rates of mesothelioma occurred among enlisted Navy personnel who had close contact with asbestos products.
The worst asbestos exposure conditions in the military often occurred on Navy ships and in shipyards. From the 1930s to the 1970s, the Navy used enormous amounts of asbestos insulation and fireproofing products on warships and submarines.
Naval Vessels with High Asbestos Exposure Risk:
If you served on any of these vessels, you may have been exposed to asbestos. Tell your doctor about your potential exposure history and monitor your health for respiratory or digestive problems that worsen or won’t go away.
Shipyards contained heavy amounts of asbestos because the material was used to construct both ships and shipyard buildings. For example, Johns Manville manufactured corrugated asbestos cement panels used as walling and roofing materials in shipyards.
Navy veterans recount exposure at some of the country’s biggest naval shipyards including San Diego Naval Shipyard, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Long Beach Naval Shipyard and Bremerton Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Spouses and children of veterans have developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases through secondary asbestos exposure. It primarily occurs through exposure to asbestos-contaminated clothing when doing laundry.
Family members who lived on military bases were also exposed to asbestos building materials used to construct housing and communal quarters.
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It most commonly forms in the lining of the lungs, and less frequently forms in the lining of abdomen, heart or testes.
No branch of the U.S. armed forces endured more asbestos exposure than Navy veterans. As a result, mesothelioma is more frequently diagnosed among Navy veterans than other branches of the military. Nearly 30% of mesothelioma lawsuits are filed by those exposed through military and shipyard construction.
Navy veterans have developed other asbestos-related diseases including lung cancer, laryngeal cancer and asbestosis.
Navy veterans who served in the past 50 years remain at risk of developing mesothelioma because it takes decades for asbestos to cause damage that leads to cancer. Military veterans, which include Navy veterans, make up 30% of the mesothelioma cases diagnosed each year. Navy veterans are most at risk because the Navy used more asbestos than any other military branch.
Some old asbestos products remain in Navy ships, shipyards and bases. Repeated exposure to legacy asbestos products puts current Navy service members at risk of developing mesothelioma in the future.
Current naval service members also face asbestos exposure when deployed overseas in countries that do not have strong asbestos regulations. International military bases are also known to contain asbestos building materials.
In the late 1970s, the U.S. Navy launched the Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program, also known as the AMSP. The program monitors the health of service members and civilian employees of the U.S. Department of the Navy, in addition to other branches of the armed forces, who were exposed to asbestos.
This program is helpful to veterans who were exposed to asbestos in the Navy or another branch of the armed forces because it provides health monitoring services that could catch mesothelioma early when it is more treatable. It also documents service-related asbestos exposure, which is an important part of getting VA benefits approved when a veteran develops an asbestos-related disease.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes several asbestos-related diseases as potentially service connected, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Navy veterans who get sick because of military asbestos exposure are eligible for free health care, disability compensation and other VA benefits for family members.
Veterans with asbestos-related diseases may receive specialized health care at VA treatment centers throughout the country. This care is covered by the VA, and veterans with mesothelioma qualify for disability compensation to help with costs not covered through VA health care, such as travel and transportation costs. A diagnosis of service-connected lung cancer or mesothelioma grants veterans 100% disability, which returns the maximum level of monthly disability compensation.
The VA also offers benefits to survivors who lost a loved one to mesothelioma. Surviving spouses of veterans who die from a service-connected disease are eligible for dependency and indemnity compensation.
When you file a VA claim over asbestos exposure, you should support it with medical records and a written asbestos exposure summary. Eligible veterans must be honorably discharged to qualify. Talk to an accredited VA claims agent who can help you gather the documentation needed to file a fully developed claim, which is usually processed twice as fast as a traditional VA claim.
You can learn more about VA claims by reading our FAQ about VA benefits.
In addition to VA claims, veterans may file other types of legal claims to receive compensation for mesothelioma including personal injury lawsuits and trust fund claims. Mesothelioma lawsuits and asbestos trust funds provide compensation to families facing asbestos-related diseases.
When veterans file lawsuits, they are not suing the military or U.S. government. They file claims against private companies that sold asbestos products to the Navy. If you lost a loved one to mesothelioma, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Most mesothelioma lawsuits are resolved through settlements before they reach a jury trial. The average mesothelioma settlement payout is $1 million to $1.5 million. Navy veterans and their families may pursue a settlement to cover treatment expenses and other costs and to supplement income.
An experienced mesothelioma lawyer can advise your family about filing a legal claim to recover expenses not covered by veteran benefits.
The VA health care system offers cutting-edge treatment and cancer care for veterans with mesothelioma. The VA can properly diagnose cases of mesothelioma, and they even offer second opinions from mesothelioma specialists who work for the VA. Even if you don’t live near a mesothelioma specialist, the VA offers virtual appointments and remote case management that allows a specialist to oversee and direct your treatment.
The best step veterans can take to improve their prognosis is to undergo treatment for mesothelioma. Treatments that can extend survival, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy, are available through the VA.
Veterans bear a heavy burden of asbestos-related cancer, so the VA health care system has partnered with some of the best mesothelioma doctors in the nation to offer excellent mesothelioma cancer care. The top VA treatment centers for mesothelioma are located in Houston, Miami, Los Angeles and Boston.
The VA has mesothelioma specialists that offer cutting edge treatments throughout the country to veterans coping with this cancer. These doctors specialize in mesothelioma cancer care and have extensive expertise in managing treatment plans to help patients live longer.
Dr. Robert B. Cameron developed a lung-sparing surgery for pleural mesothelioma that not only extends survival but offers greater quality of life by preserving the lung. Cameron’s surgery has a lower risk of complications and studies report longer survival times.
The Navy discontinued the use of asbestos for new ships and bases in the 1980s. Veterans who served on naval vessels between 1930 and 1980 have a high risk of developing mesothelioma.
Asbestos was not completely removed or encapsulated on existing vessels and facilities until the late 1990s. Veterans who were deployed overseas may also have been exposed to other sources of asbestos.
Navy ships are no longer built with asbestos-containing materials. Ships that were constructed before the 1980s have also had any exposed asbestos removed or encapsulated. Asbestos on Navy ships does not present a health risk unless damaged or disturbed but can still be found on some older vessels.
If you believe you were exposed to asbestos while serving in the military, speak with your primary care physician about getting screened by a mesothelioma doctor. In many cases, veterans are eligible for VA asbestos disability benefits to cover the cost of medical bills and other expenses.
Navy veterans with mesothelioma are eligible for monthly benefits and VA health care. Available benefits for Navy veterans also include survivor benefits, specialized health care, trust funds and access to other legal claims.
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The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com has provided patients and their loved ones the most updated and reliable information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure since 2006.
Our team of Patient Advocates includes a medical doctor, a registered nurse, health services administrators, veterans, VA-accredited Claims Agents, an oncology patient navigator and hospice care expert. Their combined expertise means we help any mesothelioma patient or loved one through every step of their cancer journey.
More than 30 contributors, including mesothelioma doctors, survivors, health care professionals and other experts, have peer-reviewed our website and written unique research-driven articles to ensure you get the highest-quality medical and health information.
Munz, A. (2022, May 12). Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma. Asbestos.com. Retrieved June 9, 2022, from https://www.asbestos.com/navy/
Munz, Aaron. "Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma." Asbestos.com, 12 May 2022, https://www.asbestos.com/navy/.
Munz, Aaron. "Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma." Asbestos.com. Last modified May 12, 2022. https://www.asbestos.com/navy/.
The sources on all content featured in The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com include medical and scientific studies, peer-reviewed studies and other research documents from reputable organizations.
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