The Hidden Enemy: Asbestos’ Long, Deadly Toll on U.S. Veterans

Many of the nation’s veterans who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and other conflicts were facing an enemy they could not see—a hidden threat that lurked in their own vessels, aircraft, vehicles and armaments: asbestos.

For most of the 20th century, the U.S. armed forces used asbestos extensively in the production and maintenance of ships, planes, tanks, trucks and other equipment.

Hundreds of thousands of sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines were regularly and unknowingly exposed to the lethal material.

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Many of the nation’s veterans who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and other conflicts were facing an enemy they could not see – a hidden threat that lurked in their own vessels, aircraft, vehicles and armaments: asbestos.

For most of the 20th century, the U.S. armed forces used asbestos extensively in the production and maintenance of ships, planes, tanks, trucks and other equipment.  

Hundreds of thousands of sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines were regularly and unknowingly exposed to the lethal material.

After serving their country, many of these Americans went on to work in shipyards and other places where they were likely exposed again to asbestos. Some unwittingly carried asbestos fibers home on their clothing or work gear, exposing spouses and children through so-called deadly hugs. To add insult to injury, asbestos has not been banned in the U.S. and importations continue, which means veterans and their families continue to be exposed to asbestos. 

Veterans make up roughly 8 percent of the current U.S. population, but account for about 30 percent of the roughly 3,000 Americans who die each year from mesothelioma – a rare, incurable and almost always fatal cancer caused only by asbestos exposure. All told, some 12,000 to 15,000 Americans die annually from asbestos-triggered diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

The total estimate of U.S. asbestos victims over the last 50 years exceeds half a million people. The percentage of veterans in the population today is roughly 8 percent, but was much higher in previous decades, so it follows that, to date, well over 40,000 veterans may have died from asbestos exposure. Because symptoms of asbestos-related diseases may not show up for decades after exposure, and because today's troops are still being exposed to asbestos in buildings in battle zones overseas, the death toll will continue to rise.

America owes it to these brave men and women, and their families, to make sure that asbestos is finally banned in the U.S. and that veterans who fall victim to asbestos-triggered diseases are able to hold the asbestos industry accountable.   

Asbestos exposure most common in Navy

Of all military veterans, those who served in the Navy are at the greatest risk of developing diseases caused by asbestos exposure. The Navy was the biggest user of asbestos and, beginning in the late 1930s, used it to line every vessel in its fleet. Tens of millions of Americans who served on Navy ships between 1938 and the early 1990s, before large-scale abatement procedures began, unwittingly risked contact with asbestos.

Navy personnel who served below deck in engine and boiler rooms, and in other areas involving the propulsion of ships, faced the greatest risk of inhaling asbestos fibers. Those who worked in the shipyards and dry docks, repairing and maintaining vessels, were also exposed.

Veterans who served in the Army, Air Force and Marines have also fallen ill and died from asbestos-related diseases at a higher rate than that of the general population.

Asbestos was widely used in land-based military installations, including in the floor and ceiling tiles of barracks at home and abroad. Materials containing asbestos, including brake pads and other components of vehicles used by the Army, Air Force and Marines, put many service members at risk.

Recent military service

Many of the buildings and structures that were damaged or destroyed during the Iraq War contained asbestos, putting the more than 1.5 million Americans who served during the second Gulf War at risk of inhalation.

After service, asbestos threats linger

Many veterans use the skills and experience they gained during their time in uniform in professions that can re-expose them to asbestos. 

Firefighters

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates that firefighters are twice as likely to die from mesothelioma than the general population. Firefighters regularly inhale asbestos fibers when responding to burning buildings. Their protective clothing, including jackets, helmets and boots, was once made with asbestos, too.

Up to 400,000 people, including veterans and first responders, were exposed to asbestos and other deadly toxins following the collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Roughly 2,000 tons of pulverized asbestos were released into the air, and swept through lower Manhattan and neighborhoods beyond. The latency period for asbestos-caused diseases is long, taking years before people become ill, which means a wave of future 9/11 victims will almost certainly arrive in the decades to come.

Construction workers

Almost any home or building constructed before the early 1980s likely contains materials made with asbestos. As a result, those who demolish or renovate old structures will likely be exposed to large amounts of asbestos dust. Asbestos is still legal and it is used in the production of some roofing and flooring materials, putting construction workers at risk.

Manufacturing workers

Asbestos was once used in a number of industries and trades, including automobile manufacturing, textiles, chemical production and shipbuilding, among others. 

Communications and power plant workers

The heat-and-fire resistant qualities of asbestos made it a widely used component in the production of the nation’s power plant facilities and communications infrastructure.

Mechanics

Auto mechanics are routinely exposed to asbestos when repairing both old and newer cars. Asbestos was used in virtually all brake pads and many other car parts for decades, and is still used in the production of some brake pads today.

The push to roll back asbestos victims’ rights

Congress and state legislatures are pursuing efforts to restrict and roll back the rights of veterans who are sick and dying from asbestos diseases.

Rather than taking steps to ensure veterans are no longer exposed to asbestos, the asbestos industry is pushing legislation around the country that would strip veterans and their families of the right to hold the industry accountable. Legislation introduced in Congress and a number of state legislatures would delay and deny compensation to sick and dying veterans. The bills are being pushed by corporations that were responsible for manufacturing asbestos or exposing workers to it, along with their insurers. The legislation places additional burdens on asbestos victims who wish to file claims against the asbestos industry. 

Veterans and many veterans’ organizations have expressed strong opposition to these proposals:

• “If you think that the bill is protecting the rights of victims, it is not. It is about protecting corporations,” said Renee Simpson, state commander of the Wisconsin Veterans of Foreign Wars, speaking in opposition to Assembly Bill 19.

• “Although many of our members recognize the great things the [Wisconsin] State Legislature and governor have done for veterans this legislative session, unfortunately, all of the goodwill now be overshadowed by the deaf ear to our pleas to stop this devastating legislation to our veterans and their families who have been exposed to asbestos,” said Jason Johns, a Purple Heart recipient for his service in Iraq, and a representative of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, which, along with the state’s American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, opposed A.B. 19 in Wisconsin.

• “The Military Order of the Purple Heart, Department of Pennsylvania, wishes to inform this committee, and your colleagues in the [Pennsylvania] legislature of our opposition to HB 1150, titled Fairness in Claims and Transparency Act. With all due respect to the authors of this legislation, we believe that you may be unaware of the consequences of this legislation upon our members and the veterans’ community in general,” said Michael Mescavage, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Department of Pennsylvania.

• “Rhetorically showing support for our veterans in speeches, while voting against their interests and wellbeing is nothing short of a slap in the face to these brave men and women who often put their lives in harm’s way serving their country,” said a letter to Congressional leaders on H.R. 526, the so-called FACT Act.

The letter was signed by the following organizations: Air Force Sergeants Association; Air Force Women Officers Associated; American Veterans; Association of the United States Navy; Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service; Fleet Reserve Association; Jewish War Veterans of the USA; Marine Corps Reserve Association; Military Officers Association of America; Military Order of the Purple Heart; National Association for Uniformed Services; National Defense Council; Naval Enlisted Reserve Association; The Retired Enlisted Association; U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association; U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association; and Vietnam Veterans of America.

• The FACT Act “is nothing but a way for the asbestos companies to attack those dying as a result of exposure to asbestos, and their families,” Rick Weidman, executive director of policy and government affairs for Vietnam Veterans of America, told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

Asbestos-caused diseases remain threat to veterans 

While asbestos use has dropped precipitously since the late 1970s, the number of Americans, including veterans, who become sick and die from asbestos-triggered diseases has not. Today, up to 15,000 people in the U.S., including roughly 1,800 veterans, succumb to asbestos diseases every year, and that number will likely not decline for years – or even decades – to come. 

Elected officials should advance policies that protect those who have sacrificed for our country, not push legislation that would deny them even a modicum of justice.