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Throughout the last century, U.S. naval vessels were fireproofed with asbestos, a fibrous mineral that became the military industry's go-to material thanks to its outstanding versatility. The toxic material was used mainly as insulation in military assets and bases as well, resulting in potential sources of asbestos exposure in vehicles, planes, submarines, shipyards, and barracks.
As demand for asbestos products increased, manufacturers wanted to profit from the "miracle material." They hid medical evidence of the health risks emerging from asbestos fibers being mixed in products made for the military. Disturbing asbestos items generates asbestos dust composed of microscopic, sharp-edged threads that enter the body easily due to their size. They can lodge into the tissue covering internal organs in the abdomen and chest or the lining of the lungs and cause irritation, scar tissue buildup, and cellular damage, which may lead over time to asbestos-related cancer such as:
- pharyngeal cancer
- colorectal cancer
- mesothelioma
- laryngeal cancer
- esophageal cancer
- urogenital cancer
- bronchial cancer
- lung cancer
- gastrointestinal cancer
Even if not every person who has inhaled or ingested asbestos dust develops cancer, exposure increases the risk of cancer occurence. Veterans diagnosed with the diseases listed above are immediately eligible for claims and qualify for expedited indemnification if they have proof of asbestos exposure and medical papers about one of these cancers.
Bone Cancer Development and Asbestos Exposure
Predominantly, asbestos exposure is associated with severe respiratory conditions arising from inhaling asbestos fibers. However, the course of asbestos threads from entering the lungs to potentially affecting bone tissue and contributing to bone cancer development is less clear and warrants further studies.
The link between asbestos exposure and bone cancer has been a subject of scientific inquiry for a long time. Despite exhaustive research into the health effects of asbestos exposure, a direct link to bone cancer remains difficult to prove. While asbestos fibers can reach the bone marrow by traveling with the blood and might cause tumors, there's only sparse evidence supporting a direct link between asbestos exposure and bone cancer - a rare form of cancer that can occur as:
- primary bone cancer
- secondary bone cancer
Primary cancer is where the malignant disease starts. If cells break away from the primary cancer, they can reach another organ and form a new tumor. Secondary bone cancers stem from metastases of cancers that started elsewhere in the body. Theoretically, any cancer can spread to the bones, but the most common ones that do produce bone metastases are:
- urogenital cancer
- lung cancer
- kidney cancer
- thyroid cancer
- myeloma
Secondary bone cancer can develop in any bone in our body and produce symptoms including:
- worsening backache
- breaks in the bones
- high levels of calcium in the blood
- quick bruising and bleeding
- weakness in the legs
- numbness or paralysis
- loss of bladder and bowel control
Even if aches and pains are common with aging, and some of the listed signs may be a muscle or an everyday ache, you should tell your doctor if you have a new pain. Generally, secondary bone cancer is successfully diagnosed with the following imaging tests:
- MRI scan
- PET scan
- X-rays
- bone scan
- CT scan
- PET-CT scan
- PET-MRI scan
However, in some cases, a bone biopsy may be necessary. This test involves collecting a small bone sample, which a specialist examines in the laboratory.
Bone Cancer as Secondary Disease to Asbestos Exposure
Veterans can claim service connection for illnesses as secondary to asbestos exposure if they have medical evidence of the new condition that was not caused by service but by a service-connected disease. Meaning they must have a doctor's statement about the secondary cancer originating from an asbestos-related primary cancer. For example, bone cancer originating from urogenital cancer with proven nexus to in-service asbestos exposure.
Furthermore, even if the primary asbestos cancer might be in remission, unfortunately, it can come back in a different form by moving to other organs, generating a secondary cancer clearly linked to the original one, and warranting service connection. Medical records of the new malignant diagnosis and treatment received are necessary because secondary or metastatic cancers do not warrant service connection on a presumptive basis.
Helping Navy Veterans Affected by Asbestos Exposure
Out of all branches of the military, the Navy exploited asbestos the most, putting naval personnel serving on ships built before the 1980s at a high risk of asbestos exposure. With more than 300 asbestos-containing products used on most Navy ships, everyone onboard was at risk of inhaling or ingesting airborne asbestos particles and developing diseases linked to asbestos exposure decades after service. Consequently, veterans of the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, U.S. Army Transport Service, and Merchant Marine who served anytime between the 1930s and the early 1980s and were diagnosed with cancer due to their exposure can be compensated by the asbestos trust funds and the VA if they have proof of exposure to asbestos during their service.
Asbestos lawsuits are complex, and experience shows you'll have the best chance to recover the deserved compensation for your suffering by working with an attorney specializing in toxic exposure. If your health is so fragile that you can't participate in the legal process, a family member can collect the necessary papers supporting your claim. We can assist you in contacting asbestos lawyers ready to take on your case.