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Mesothelioma in US States

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Asbestos Exposure in Naval Shipyards

Catherine A. Murphy

Among the U.S. veterans who fought for the country, navy veterans were most affected by mesothelioma. This was because during 1940s and 1970s when World War II and the Korean War were being fought they were exposed to asbestos especially in shipyards where ships were being built or repaired. More than war deaths, they were affected by excessive exposure of asbestos which resulted in them developing the deadly disease of mesothelioma. Almost all parts of ship built during this period had asbestos. This included areas like mess halls, boiler rooms, navigation rooms, sleeping quarters, and engine rooms. The products which used asbestos on ships were valves, adhesives and gaskets.

Usage of Asbestos by Naval Shipyards

Asbestos were extensively used by naval shipyards despite it being dangerous until the government decided to setup stringent standards in 1970s to regulate its usage. The Charlestown Navy Yard was one of the first shipbuilding yards in the country and used asbestos in abundance. This was opened by the Secretary of the Navy to build ships for the defense of the country as well as to repair ships which were not in working condition.

The Boston Naval Shipyard also used asbestos for shipbuilding and the U.S. Navy claimed that about 300 asbestos containing products formed main components in the building of these ships. In spite of the Navy banning usage of asbestos in 1973, many shipyard workers had been exposed to asbestos and were likely to develop mesothelioma. Workers working at the US Naval Base in San Diego prior to 1980 were exposed to asbestos due to the extensive usage of asbestos in the building process of the ships as well as in its products.

Due to the negligence by the naval shipyards, millions of American workers especially navy veterans were exposed to asbestos and were later diagnosed with the disease. A study conducted at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine indicates that over 86 percent of shipyard workers with more than 20 years of experience were diagnosed with mesothelioma.

To add to this, those working in these shipyards apart from being exposed to asbestos also carried home these fibers through their clothes resulting in their family members developing mesothelioma as well. As the disease has a long latency period, doctors and experts are still seeing an increase in the cases of mesothelioma among Navy veterans.

Rights for Navy Veterans

Due to high number of cases of mesothelioma among Navy veterans, they have certain rights like right to good healthcare as well as compensation for the losses they would have incurred both physically as well as mentally. However, they need to fight for their rights to get fair compensation and proper health care. If you are a Navy veteran and have been diagnosed with this cancerous disease, you need to fight your case with the help of an attorney. You might get justice in the form of compensation for the losses you are likely to have like medical expenses, pain and trauma. So if you were working with the Navy and have been exposed to asbestos, you need to visit a physician at the earliest as it is easier to treat mesothelioma when diagnosed at an early stage.

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