Mesothelioma and Veterans

Veterans of the United States Military often face more difficulties than others when it comes to their health in their later years. Those who have spent a good portion of their lives serving their country should be aware of what difficulties they may face and what they can do to lessen those difficulties. When it comes to their health, Veterans of World War II through the Vietnam War are at exceptional risk for developing mesothelioma due to exposure and handling of the building material known as asbestos.

During the 1940s and 1970s, the use of asbestos for a cheap, abundant, and effective building material was widespread. During this time, the United States Military was one of the entities which had a very high demand for using asbestos for building. Buildings, such as mess halls and barracks were often the sites of asbestos. Navy and Merchant Marine shipyards also made extensive use of asbestos as a building material. Even general administration buildings often had a significant amount of asbestos involved during their construction. Because of all of this, many military workers and civilian employees were exposed to asbestos during that time.

The handling of asbestos and the breathing in of its dust and fibers is very strongly linked to the development of an asbestos related pathology, such as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an asbestos caused cancer in the membrane, called the mesothelium, which surrounds many of the body’s vital organs.

One does not have to have directly handled the asbestos to have an increase in risk; simply working in a facility where the dust and fibers are present in the air is enough to increase the risk of mesothelioma.

After the mid-1970s, asbestos was banned from its many uses. However, the risk of developing mesothelioma today is still high due to the long latency and incubation period of mesothelioma. The fibers and dust can result in mesothelioma and many other illnesses many years later, usually around 30 years.

Because of the widespread use of asbestos in the military, many veterans are now facing mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is highly aggressive and highly resistant to many standard cancer treatments. In the past, some military jobs required workers to cut asbestos-laden materials which would release the deadly fibers into the air. Other workers who worked in ship interiors and other enclosed spaces where often exposed to lose asbestos fibers that were circulating in the air.

Personnel who may have been exposed to asbestos includes the occupants of base housing constructed prior to the 1970s and all assignments, both military and civilian, on or near military shipping installations, including Navy or Merchant shipyards.

It is likely that those who served in the United States Navy had the most direct exposure to asbestos. Thankfully, Navy records for asbestos-containing materials used in shipyards, ship construction, or ship repair still exist and are useful in investigating mesothelioma and other asbestos related cases. These records can be found at the website Mesothelioma Resources Online. Marine veterans are the second most likely to have been exposed to asbestos due to the frequency that marine corps members served on aircraft carriers and transport ships.

If you are a veteran who was active in the military between the 1940s and 1970s or know someone who was, it is important to be aware of the early warning signs of mesothelioma. Though it is incredibly difficult to predict mesothelioma due to the aforementioned long latency period, there are some early warning signs that one can be aware of. Some early warning signs could be:

• Persistent cough
• Night sweats
• Fever

Unfortunately many experiencing these symptoms are often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or influenza. This gives the cancer time to grow to a more serious stage. Medical treatment for mesothelioma can be quite costly and exhausting to the patient. Treatment methods include:

• Radiation Therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Surgery

Most undergo combinations of the various treatment methods.

Veterans of most branches of the United States Military are not able to seek compensation from or file a lawsuit directly with the military service in which he or she served. However there are certain channels that he or she can go through to seek compensation.

Mesothelioma has been approved as being connected to military service. However, despite this, the process of filing and pursuing a claim can be difficult and confusing. Some claims can take months to process. There are reportedly some 600,000 claims in process and they are expected to take years to process. This is definitely not good news for those veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma. The number of cases is expected to continue to rise as long as there are people alive who served in the military prior to the 1970s.

Veterans who were exposed to asbestos during active duty and who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are eligible for service connection benefits. Applications for these benefits are handled through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).

When deciding a claim for service connection for mesothelioma, the VA administrator must determine whether records demonstrate the veteran was exposed to asbestos during his or her time as a military worker. The claim is less likely to be successful is the veteran was exposed to asbestos before or after his or her time as a military worker.

Some specific groups of veterans are able to receive service connection benefits without being required to provide evidence of exposure to asbestos. If a veteran cannot prove their asbestos exposure is not limited and isolated to his or her time in the military service, he or she can then seek compensation from asbestos manufacturers to help for the medical treatments.