Navy Asbestos Exposure

Working on Navy ships came with a risk of asbestos exposure for service members who lived and worked in cramped quarters aboard ships. Sailors and shipyard workers, including merchant marines, longshoremen and pipefitters, have been affected by this exposure. One study revealed that the average mortality rate from asbestosis for former shipyard workers was much higher than for other occupations.

Asbestos was used in gaskets, pipes, valves and high-heat machinery like boilers aboard ships. When a ship moves, vibrates or undergoes maintenance, the products can be disturbed. This releases asbestos fibers into the air, which people living and working nearby inhale. Asbestos fibers in the air can continuously be re-circulated until they are confined or eliminated.

The workplace is a common route of asbestos exposure, particularly for the following:

• Boiler operators
• Machinists
• Pipefitters
• Sailors
• Shipyard workers

The Navy’s history with asbestos

Because of its natural resistance to heat, fire and chemicals, asbestos was widely used in various products, materials and military applications from the 1880s to the 1980s and beyond.

WWII naval destroyers carried as much as 24 to 30 long tons (54,000 to 67,000 pounds) of asbestos-containing thermal insulation per ship. Naval asbestos exposure often occurred in confined spaces. There, asbestos materials were used to insulate high-heat components, such as those within the ship’s engine room.

Asbestos exposure can lead to higher rates of the following conditions:

• Asbestosis: Inhaling asbestos dust and fibers can lead to asbestosis, an incurable lung disease that scars the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe. Symptoms typically appear decades after asbestos exposure. They include dry cough, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight, pain or tightness in the chest and shortness of breath.
• Lung cancer: Studies of workers exposed to asbestos have found that breathing in asbestos fibers is related to an increased risk of lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer is higher when exposure is extensive. Common signs of lung cancer include chest pain, chest pain, coughing up blood, hoarse voice, persistent cough, shortness of breath and wheezing.
• Mesothelioma and other severe conditions: A rare and aggressive cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma) or heart (pericardial mesothelioma). Nearly all cases are associated with asbestos exposure. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath and fluid buildup.

Symptoms of asbestos-related disease often take between 10 and 40 years to appear. Many victims are diagnosed late in life, long after the initial exposure occurred.

The types of U.S. Navy ships that contained asbestos include:

• Aircraft carriers: Asbestos was used for fire prevention in and around the boiler rooms, mess halls, pipes and sleeping quarters.
• Auxiliary vessels: Hospital, supply and transport ships used asbestos insulation to protect engines, pipes and walls.
• Cruisers: These warships utilized asbestos to insulate bulkheads, engine rooms, living quarters, machinery and weapon storage areas.
• Destroyers: The asbestos insulation in the walls, boilers, turbines and pumps of these ships would break down due to movement and rough conditions, allowing dangerous asbestos fibers to become airborne.
• Minesweepers: Asbestos was present in the electrical systems, engine rooms and pipes of these naval warships.
• Submarines: These specialized naval watercraft had asbestos insulation surrounding electrical systems, engines and pipes.

List of Navy ship asbestos equipment

Various types of Navy equipment contained asbestos, such as:

• Boilers
• Bulkhead panels
• Gaskets
• Insulation
• Machinery parts
• Pipes

Veterans and civilian workers may be eligible to file civil lawsuits against companies involved with supplying asbestos products to the military, not the Navy or the U.S. government. Motley Rice may be able to assist with military asbestos exposure cases involving:

• Asbestos product manufacturers
• Asbestos mining companies
• Asbestos distributors and suppliers
• Construction companies
• Manufacturers of asbestos safety equipment
• Property owners
• Shipbuilding companies

To file a legal claim, Navy asbestos exposure victims will need to provide:

• A medical diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease
• Navy service records
• Other relevant proof of asbestos exposure

An asbestos exposure attorney can help victims gather what they need to file a claim and pursue compensation.

Several different types of compensation may be available to Navy veterans who have been exposed to asbestos.

Bankruptcy funds

More than 100 companies that used asbestos and have since gone bankrupt have established asbestos trust funds. These funds compensate victims on a sliding scale based on the severity of their asbestos-related disease.

Depending on their exposure history and medical diagnosis, military veterans could be eligible for trust fund compensation. Trust claims are not filed against the government or armed forces. Instead, they are brought against the manufacturers of asbestos-containing products. Motley Rice can provide guidance to service members and civilians regarding these types of claims.

Civil lawsuits

Veterans and civilian workers may be eligible to file civil lawsuits against companies involved with asbestos products for the military. Motley Rice might be able to assist with military asbestos exposure cases involving:

• Asbestos product manufacturers
• Asbestos mining companies
• Asbestos distributors and suppliers
• Construction companies
• Manufacturers of asbestos safety equipment
• Property owners
• Shipbuilding companies

VA benefits

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes that mesothelioma, asbestosis and other cancers can result from asbestos exposure. It acknowledges that veterans may have been exposed through active-duty service or military occupation.

To be eligible for VA benefits, veterans may have to prove that they:

• Were exposed to asbestos while serving in the military
• Developed a health condition linked to asbestos exposure

VA asbestos exposure is presumptive. This means that the VA presumes that certain asbestos-related conditions, like mesothelioma, are service connected. This means veterans do not always have to prove direct exposure.

Veterans who qualify and receive a disability rating may be eligible for VA healthcare and monthly disability compensation. Veterans may also be entitled to benefits under the PACT Act. This law, which took effect in March 2024, expands VA benefits for service members who suffered toxic exposures while in the military.

Motley Rice does not handle VA claims. However, our attorneys can help you weigh your options for seeking compensation through other legal avenues.

Motley Rice attorneys have been pioneers in asbestos litigation for decades, representing thousands of individuals and families harmed by asbestos exposure. Our legal team helped uncover corporate knowledge of asbestos dangers and holds companies accountable through personal injury, wrongful death and product liability claims.

Motley Rice asbestos lawsuit attorneys have handled hundreds of complex cases, including:

• Litigating product liability and secondhand exposure cases involving asbestos-containing materials like insulation, brake pads and asbestos-contaminated talc
• Representing industrial workers in West Virginia, including employees at chemical plants and utility facilities who were exposed to asbestos on the job
• Serving as U.S. counsel for Canadian provincial workers’ compensation boards, helping Canadian workers recover from non-employer U.S. parties
• Handling claims from 9/11 responders and volunteers exposed to asbestos and toxins at Ground Zero, through the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF)
• Negotiating structured settlements with bankrupt asbestos manufacturers and filing bankruptcy trust claims for clients harmed by asbestos companies that have reorganized under Chapter 11

Our attorneys continue to litigate asbestos cases nationwide, often taking them all the way to trial when necessary. Whether filing an asbestos lawsuit or trust claims, our team brings deep experience and commitment to each asbestos case. We understand the long-term toll asbestos exposure can take not just on the individual but on entire families.

Read more on our toxic exposure litigation experience.