Commissioning on 17 August 1918 with Lieutenant Sherwood Picking in command, the USS O-10 (SS-71) was in use during both World War I and World War II. However, it was decommissioned for 10 years, which means it may have contained asbestos after 1941, a dangerous naturally occurring mineral with dire consequences for one’s health in case of exposure. The submarine was decommissioned and struck in 1945, subsequently being sold for scrap. Asbestos was widely used on ships and other military vessels before it was banned in 1979. When the mineral’s fibers are inhaled, they can cause permanent damage to a person’s lungs. Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that develops in the protective lining around the lungs, abdomen and heart that has been linked to asbestos exposure, yet because it takes decades for the condition to be diagnosed there is typically little that can be done to identify the source of exposure to asbestos. However, for Navy veterans who are diagnosed with this life-threatening disease, it is often somewhat easier to determine the source of exposure as many of their specific duties placed them in direct contact with asbestos.
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