Occupational asbestos exposure was common in the U.S. Navy, particularly in certain jobs.

Until the 1980s, asbestos was used in almost every U.S. Navy vessel. Tens of thousands of veterans were affected.

We know today that asbestos is an incredibly toxic substance, capable of causing illnesses up to and including cancer. However, the dangers of asbestos were long underrated. For decades, the United States Navy relied on this “miracle mineral” to ensure that its ships stayed strong and sea-worthy. Between the 1930s and early 1980s, virtually every naval watercraft was constructed with a wide variety of asbestos products. Asbestos-based materials were used to fireproof watercraft, insulate boilers, and protect fuel lines.

Many U.S. Naval Veterans were exposed to Asbestos.

Although the Navy thought that asbestos could help keep its ships and sailors safe, it inadvertently exposed veterans to a critical threat: a highly carcinogenic mineral that can destroy the body from the inside out, devastating not only individual lives but entire families.

While most veterans who served before the early 1980s came into contact with asbestos aboard United States Navy vessels, some military occupational specialties are at markedly higher risk for asbestos-related diseases than others. 

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Naval Communications Technicians and Asbestos Exposure

United States Navy Veterans who worked in the following communications-related specialties could have been exposed to asbestos in the course of service.

US Navy occupations associated with exposure to asbestos:

  • Aviation radiomen
  • Naval radiomen
  • Communication technicians
  • Interior communication technicians

Each of these specialties has a different risk rating, with both aviation radiomen and interior communication technicians presumed to have regularly encountered and engaged with asbestos aboard naval watercraft. 

While the risk ratings for naval radiomen and communication technicians are “minimal,” any veteran who served or spent significant time aboard vessels built before the early 1980s could have been exposed to potentially life-threatening concentrations of asbestos. 

How Communication Technicians Encountered Asbestos 

The United States Navy has long since stricken the positions of radioman and communication technician from its ratings. Today, sailors may apply for or be enlisted into similar occupational specialties.

U.S. Naval communication jobs include: 

  • Cryptologic technician
  • Electronics technician communications
  • Information systems technician

However, communication specialists and radiomen long played an invaluable role in the military, overseeing and processing critical telecommunications traffic. 

Since radiomen and their successors were tasked with occasionally updating, maintaining, and replacing communications equipment, they faced a minimal to moderate risk of asbestos exposure while in service.

US Naval communications personnel may have been exposed to asbestos from:

  • Telecommunications gear
  • Fireproofing materials
  • Asbestos-reinforced ship structures

Even though some other naval occupations encountered asbestos at relatively higher rates, radiomen could still develop asbestos-related conditions, diseases, and cancers. 

The Medical Dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos is not inherently dangerous. When asbestos products are handled and stored safely, they pose little threat to human health. 

However, over time, asbestos products can easily degrade and crumble. When asbestos fibers are broken down, they could disperse into the environment. If airborne asbestos is inhaled, it could infiltrate the lungs and respiratory system, causing scarring and inflammation. 

“The overall evidence suggests there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.”

Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH) 1

Since the body cannot easily rid itself of these highly resilient fibers, asbestos can remain dormant in the body for years, wreaking havoc without necessarily prompting any noticeable symptoms. Some asbestos-related conditions, such as mesothelioma, can go undetected for decades, surfacing only when the disease is critical. 

Former naval radiomen and communication technicians may be at risk of a number of asbestos-related illnesses:

Navy veterans, especially those who worked with or around asbestos, have an increased risk for asbestos-related conditions including but not limited to: 

  • Pleural Plaques

Pleural Plaques are a medical condition characterized by the thickening of tissue around the lungs. While pleural plaques are not life-threatening, they can indicate the presence of more serious, underlying medical problems. 

  • Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a chronic respiratory illness caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Asbestosis can present symptoms include shortness of breath, tiredness, and weight loss. Asbestosis can get progressively worse over time. Although physicians have way to relieve asbestosis-related symptoms, there is no cure for this condition. 

  • Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a malignant and unusually aggressive cancer that affects the mesothelium, the thin layer of tissue encasing the chest and surrounding the chest and many other major organs. Pleural mesothelioma, or mesothelioma of the lungs, is the most common form of this condition. However, mesothelioma can also affect other organs, including the abdomen, heart, and testicles.. 

  • Cancer

Asbestos damage can lead to multiple cancers, including cancer of the lungs, ovaries, and esophagus. Asbestos can increase the probability of developing certain cancers. For example, Navy veterans who smoke cigarettes and have a history of asbestos exposure are at significantly higher risk for lung cancer than veterans who have a history of cigarette smoking without asbestos exposure or vice versa.

“Generally, those who develop asbestos-related diseases show no signs of illness for a long time after exposure.”

Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH) 2

Asbestos has been removed from most vessels, but not all U.S. Naval veterans.

Once inhaled or ingested, some asbestos fibers never leave the body.

While the armed forces have made definite efforts to improve service-people’s safety, the Navy only stopped using asbestos-containing materials in the early 1980s—years after the risks of asbestos exposure were a matter of public record. Nobody knows exactly how many veterans could have been exposed to asbestos, but they likely number in the millions.

The American Lung Association has stated that once inhaled or swallowed, some asbestos fibers never leave the body.3

“Some asbestos fibers may bypass…your body’s natural defenses…and lodge deep within your lungs. Those fibers can remain in place for a very long time and may never be removed.”

Source: American Lung Association

Any former sailor, shipyard worker, or civilian contractor who worked aboard or around Navy ships between the 1930s and 1990s could be at risk for serious asbestos-related conditions. 

Speak to your healthcare provider about imaging and other screening techniques to detect asbestos damage. Early detection is everything.

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

And if you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being. 

All without filing a lawsuit.
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1 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.
2 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.
3 American Lung Association, Asbestos, How Asbestos Impacts Health (updated 2022).