Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces are a unique group — one that played an important role in building America into the great nation it is today. These brave men and women made incredible sacrifices to protect our country, and we owe them respect and gratitude.
While many veterans gave their lives to defend our country, others came home only to die decades later from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos, a toxic material used extensively in all branches of the military.
The military certainly had the safety of service members in mind when it first embraced asbestos as a fireproofing material, but use of the toxic mineral continued well after medical evidence first proved the harmful effects of breathing it and the tragic deaths that followed. Today, veterans account for nearly a third of all mesothelioma cases in the U.S.
Veterans who developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions after exposure to asbestos in the military qualify for special financial benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including disability compensation, special monthly compensation and service-connected death benefits for surviving family members.
An approved mesothelioma VA claim provides much-needed help for veterans such as access to treatment at any facility in the VA network. Free travel is available for veterans who want to visit the Boston VA Healthcare System and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, two leading facilities offering the best mesothelioma treatments.
Veterans and Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos was once highly regarded for its heat resistance and fire-proofing capabilities, making it a valuable tool for the U.S. Armed Forces. Nearly all branches of the military used the material from the 1900s to the mid-1970s, putting veterans who specialized in many military occupations at risk for mesothelioma.
All modes of military transportation, such as Navy ships, tanks, automobiles and aircraft, contained products contaminated with asbestos. It was used in electric wiring insulation, brake pads and clutch pads found in jeeps, tanks and aircraft. Buildings on military bases, including barracks, were filled with asbestos cement pipes and a variety of other asbestos-containing building materials.
Today, veterans who served from 1940 to 1980 are at high risk of developing health problems from asbestos. Those who served more recently also are in danger because it took decades for the military to remove or replace the asbestos products. Veterans who were stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan may have been exposed to asbestos when older buildings that contained the material were damaged.
Asbestos Use in All Branches of the Military
It wasn't until the mid-1970s, after considerable publicity over the toxicity and long-term health problems of asbestos, that the military curtailed its use. Many of the veterans who are diagnosed today were first exposed to asbestos during the Korean or Vietnam wars and soon thereafter.
The VA website lists a variety of military job duties that may have exposed veterans to asbestos. The most dangerous occupations include mining, shipyard work and construction.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure in the Military
The military’s reliance on asbestos not only put service members at risk, but it also endangered their family members through secondary asbestos exposure. During the peak years of asbestos use, many veterans brought home asbestos fibers on their work clothes and unintentionally exposed their spouses or children to the toxic mineral.
These secondary exposures were far less severe than the heavy firsthand exposures that frequently occurred at Navy shipyards, yet they still had the potential to cause mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses.
One common scenario for secondhand exposure: A serviceman’s wife inhales asbestos while washing or handling her husband’s asbestos-laden clothes. Children have also suffered secondhand asbestos exposures by playing with their fathers or hugging them when they return home from work.
Secondary exposure is rarely a problem when service members are deployed overseas, but it can be a serious risk for families who live on military bases or in military family housing. If a veteran ever returns home covered in asbestos dust, there is a chance a family member may develop a related illness later in life.
Asbestos in the Military: How Asbestos Kills America's Veterans
The U.S. government never warned its service members exposure to asbestos in the military would lead to respiratory illnesses and deadly cancers. While the VA health care system struggles with a massive backlog of asbestos claims, it fails to tell many veterans about VA facilities in Boston and Los Angeles — the best that specialize in mesothelioma treatment.
US Navy Veterans Face Highest Risk for Asbestos Disease
U.S. Navy veterans were exposed to higher levels of asbestos than servicemen in other branches of the military because the Navy packed its vessels with asbestos materials from bow to stern. As a result, Navy veterans are diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses at higher rates that other servicemen.
The Navy began adding asbestos fireproofing materials to its ships in 1938. The following year, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy issued a warning about the dangers of asbestos exposure in the New York Navy Yard and the risk for asbestosis.
However, the Navy ignored the warning and increased production of asbestos-laden ships in preparation for World War II. Navy personnel faced exposure risks from the late 1930s to the early 1990s.
Veterans Keep Getting Exposed to Asbestos After Military Service
For some veterans who developed mesothelioma, their service was only one component of their asbestos exposure. Many service members were trained in Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force trade jobs. When they stopped saluting and rejoined civilian life, they often sought jobs related to skills they developed during service.
They became plumbers, electricians, construction specialists, mechanics and industrial workers, just to name a handful of occupations veterans may have chosen after their service. Many later learned these jobs added to their exposure history,developing a related condition years down the line. Mesothelioma typically develops 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.
mesothelioma navy veterans, mesothelioma veterans benefits, veterans mesothelioma cancer awareness scholarship
Source: http://docphy.com/business-industry/health-care/veterans-and-mesothelioma.html
No comments:
Post a Comment