Marines were mostly exposed to asbestos when serving on Navy ships containing it. Tankers, aircraft carriers, and cargo ships were just some of the types of ships with components that contained asbestos for packing materials used in pipes, machinery, and valves, insulation on boilers, insulation used to steam pipes and more.
When wrapping aged asbestos-based material, it becomes friable, easily crumbled by hand, releasing fibers into the air. The human body cannot eliminate asbestos fibers once they are lodged in the lung tissue or digestive tract. They remain in place where they can cause exposure-related diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.
Asbestos products U.S. Marine Corps veterans may have been exposed to include:
In addition, buildings on bases were a Marine’s most substantial exposure threat, as these stations depended on asbestos as a durable additive to construction materials such as roofing, ceiling, tiles, floor tiles, insulation, and other building materials. Marines were put at a high risk of asbestos exposure as they trained, ate and slept in asbestos-laden halls, messes, and barracks. Marine Corps vehicles also contained asbestos in automotive parts like clutches, transmission plates, brake pads, and brake linings.
Marine occupations most at risk for asbestos exposure:
If you are a Marine Corps veteran who has experienced asbestos exposure and may be facing a battle with asbestos-related cancer, you are entitled to receiving benefits from the VA. Asbestos trust funds are another option for asbestos victims to recover compensation for the negligence of asbestos manufacturers and suppliers. Today, there are roughly 60 active trust funds with over $30 billion available for claimants. We can help you file your claim both with asbestos trust funds and the VA in order to receive compensation.
If you served in the U.S. Merchant Marines, you are considered a veteran by the VA only if you served during the period of armed conflict, December 7, 1941 - August 15, 1945, in oceangoing service. Only this limited group of Merchant Mariners are eligible for veteran benefits. However, you may still be eligible for asbestos trust fund payments.
U.S. Merchant Marines veterans were directly in contact with asbestos, because of the military’s reliance on asbestos products. If you served as a U.S. Merchant Marine in the past century, then you were inevitably exposed to this hazardous mineral which today is known to cause many life-threatening diseases. The mineral was largely used in on-board equipment, including boilers, pumps, turbines, valves, and electrical components.
Common items containing asbestos on merchant vessels:
1 in 500 shipyard employees was an asbestos insulator. The succeeding jobs also put shipyard workers to direct exposure to asbestos:
As Merchant Marine fleets navigated waters, many of the asbestos materials began to break down, releasing asbestos dust into the air. Because of the inadequate ventilation aboard ships, all Merchant Marines and navy personnel were at risk of asbestos exposure. The most affected Mariners were those who worked directly with the installation, repair and running of engines, boilers, pumps, and generators, as these trades on the Merchant Marine ships required them to handle asbestos materials directly.
Veterans who served as Marines or Merchant Marine Seamen have the right to seek compensation for their illnesses. The monetary compensation coming from approved claims can cover the costs of medical care and may provide additional sums for pain and suffering. Our consultants that are experienced and skilled in this practice area can help you get access to compensation through asbestos trust funds and VA benefits as well.