Asbestos Exposure During Ship Repairs, Retrofits, and Overhauls

During the 1900s, asbestos use was widespread, and many products containing this material were found at job sites across numerous industry segments, including shipbuilding. The military classified asbestos as a critical material as WWII approached, and manufacturers were required to use it in building the vessels if they aimed to benefit from abundantly funded military contracts.

Using asbestos gave a new impulse to the Emergency Shipbuilding Program, and many shipyards throughout the country participated in the war effort. It put people working on building ships at a high risk of asbestos exposure, as tons of asbestos were transported to shipyards and applied throughout the new Navy fleet. Regular exposure was unavoidable for anyone who worked in a shipyard between the 1930s and the beginning of the 1980s.

With the Navy expanding its fleet at a breakneck speed, shipyards became huge workplaces, with a considerable workforce on the site daily, so occupational exposure was widespread. A New York Times report suggested that during World War II alone, 4.5 million people were exposed to asbestos in shipyards, including military personnel involved in repairing and overhauling Navy vessels.

Although the shipbuilding boom began with naval ships built for the WWII war effort, it continued well into peacetime with ships constructed for transport and commerce. It meant continuous exposure risks for former Navy or civilian shipyard workers until asbestos regulations were updated in the late 1980s. By then, everyone had long faced inhaling or ingesting hazardous levels of asbestos fibers, as shipyards kicked up so much asbestos dust that workers couldn't see across the room most of the time. This level of exposure put former naval personnel and shipyard workforce in immediate danger of developing asbestos-related cancers later in life.

Shipyard Work Elevated Sailors' Contamination Risks

Maintaining the Navy fleet in operating readiness at all times meant that ships underwent periodic overhauls or retrofits: major repair and upgrade work done to extend their service life. Both processes involved significant work to ensure vessels met changing technological or military needs.

Shipyard work mainly involved installing products made with asbestos and replacing older ones as they wore out. It was the routine for many sailors who often remained on board during ship refurbishing and repairs. While their ship was in a drydock for renovations or overhauls, sailors faced the same levels of exposure as shipyard workers, especially if they were directly involved in the maintenance process. Compared to other industries, shipbuilders were at a greater risk of asbestos contamination due to several factors, such as:

• Asbestos was present in almost every part of the ship and materials used for repair.
• Shipbuilding used blue and brown asbestos, the most dangerous types of the mineral.
• The common practice of asbestos spraying, one of the most dangerous ways to apply the toxic material.
• Welding-generated heat often disturbed asbestos, releasing dangerous asbestos dust.

Everyone working in a shipyard for extended periods encountered asbestos, even if they didn't directly handle products containing the mineral's fibers. Tasks like cutting, sanding, and fitting insulation around pipes and boilers released considerable amounts of microscopic fibers into the air, forming dust that circulated through the shipyards and contaminated vessels that underwent repair. It was standard practice for crew members to remain onboard during refurbishing and repairs for:

• maintaining the ship's security
• overseeing contractors
• operating critical systems
• limited housing

When a ship was undergoing maintenance at a shipyard, there were only a few housing options for the entire personnel, so many sailors continued to live on board. Moreover, certain repairs required crew members to monitor and test systems after work was completed, so some sailors had to stay on the ship. Unfortunately, living on vessels during repairs meant they were at a high risk of inhaling or ingesting asbestos dust. It didn't lessen the danger that ventilation systems on ships were mostly inadequate, facilitating asbestos fibers floating around for hours.

Additionally, when ships were decommissioned, hundreds were involved in dismantling them and were exposed to significant levels of asbestos. The most exposed were those working on the ship's mechanical areas, which were particularly hazardous, containing most of the insulation and other asbestos-containing parts.

With shipyards handling tons of asbestos daily, they quickly became primary sources of asbestos exposure. The military and the general public weren't aware that asbestos causes cancer as manufacturers hid the medical evidence of elevated health risks. And because asbestos was not known to cause such health issues, safety wasn't a priority like it is today. During the 1950s to 1980s, shipyard workers or sailors did not use protective equipment, and dust was considered a standard job product.

Seeking Medical Attention in Time Can Add Years to Life

Discovering and diagnosing asbestos conditions is challenging due to their decades-long latency period. Due to the many years between diagnosis and initial exposure, veterans are often diagnosed when their illness has reached advanced stages. It considerably reduces their chances of receiving care and adequate help when time is of the essence. That is why former Navy personnel should attend regular check-ups and request chest X-rays or CT scans along with pulmonary function tests as soon as they experience the following symptoms:

• shortness of breath
• pain in the chest or shoulder
• persistent dry cough
• general weakness
• night sweats
• fatigue
• unintentional weight loss
• respiratory system complications

Diseases caused by asbestos exposure are complex, and misdiagnosis cases are recurrent because most doctors will likely misinterpret the symptoms that resemble common respiratory diseases. Veterans can ensure an accurate health evaluation and a correct diagnosis by consulting a pulmonary specialist qualified to treat lung diseases caused by longtime asbestos exposure. Additionally, a second or a third doctor's opinion outside the VA is of great help in determining asbestos-related illnesses. You can significantly speed up the diagnostic process by informing your doctor about your military years and possible asbestos exposure on the ships. A thorough examination may uncover non-cancerous diseases stemming from asbestos exposure, such as:

• pulmonary fibrosis
• asbestosis
• recurrent pneumonia
• emphysema
• rounded atelectasis
• chronic bronchitis
• pleural effusion
• pleural plaques
• pleural thickening
• COPD
• lung nodules and spots
• asthma

Even if these conditions don't qualify veterans for compensation, they should be regularly checked because they tend to develop into cancer. Periodic medical examinations can discover cancers in incipient phases, and a cancer diagnosis will make former service members eligible for claims.

Assisting Veterans in Receiving the Deserved Compensation

Many Navy veterans have yet to discover information about the hazards of asbestos products on naval vessels and that they were routinely exposed while serving on ships built before the 1980s. This lack of information also means that they don't know about being at imminent risk of developing severe diseases, such as:

• pharyngeal cancer
• colorectal cancer
• mesothelioma
• laryngeal cancer
• esophageal cancer
• urogenital cancer
• bronchial cancer
• lung cancer
• gastrointestinal cancer

Veterans?diagnosed with these malignant illnesses may be eligible to file claims and be awarded benefits if their medical records show any of the cancers from above and they have proof of asbestos exposure.

Former shipyard workers who develop any of the malignancies listed may qualify to file a personal injury lawsuit or asbestos trust fund claims. Shipyard worker's families who lost a loved one to one of these diseases can file a wrongful death claim. We can help by connecting you with attorneys who will assist you in every step of the process.