Mesothelioma is a cancer which afflicts our nation’s heroes, people who built our country and who embody our ideals of patriotism, hard work, and family.
They were exposed to asbestos while serving our nation in Navy ships and shipyards, building our homes and cities, working hard in our factories and industries to provide for their families, or washing their loved one’s clothes at the end of the long workday. Some don’t even know how they were exposed. Yet, other than those personally affected, our society mostly is unaware of, or ignores, this national tragedy.
Sadly, many Veterans who have nobly served our Country are at particularly susceptible to developing Mesothelioma. This is because large amounts of asbestos-containing products were manufactured by Veterans, and used extensively by our military until through the 1980s. The military’s use of asbestos products decreased as the dangers of asbestos exposure became indisputable, but there still was (and is) the necessity of cleaning out remaining asbestos over time.
This means that Veterans may be exposed to asbestos even today. Fortunately, more safeguards have been put in place to minimize asbestos exposure to those who currently serve our Country. Yet there is no practical way to prevent exposure altogether, and so it is not surprising that Veterans, in general, do display a higher risk of getting Mesothelioma than those with no military service.
Military personnel particularly at risk for developing Mesothelioma include Navy Veterans who built and maintained Warships. Asbestos containing products were used extensively in these ships, and the pipe-fittings within them. Sailors on these Warships were literally showered with particles from the asbestos-containing composite materials used to construct the Warships’ quarters, boiler rooms and galleys. The areas, when scratched by cargo movement or simply corroding over time, spewed out easily-inhaled asbestos particles, along with asbestos-laden dust clinging to skin of the Veterans aboard.
Another high-risk group of Veterans are those who worked in demolition and renovation, since they were exposed to asbestos the insulation materials removed, and asbestos dust in the air during destruction of facilities constructed when asbestos was a conventional building material. It is especially tragic when a Veteran has survived the dangers of being in the military – only to succumb years later from the consequences of asbestos exposure during their service.
According the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 22 million military veterans in the United States. Any veteran who served in any branch before the 1970s was likely exposed to asbestos and has a higher risk of developing an asbestos-related illness, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer.
IMPORTANTLY, the armed forces are NOT at fault when a legal action is made on behalf of a Veteran afflicted with Mesothelioma. Rather, the manufacturers of the asbestos materials, who were aware of the dangers but hid them so long as they were able, are the targets of lawsuits seeking compensation for Veteran victims of Mesothelioma and their families. These asbestos manufacturers failed to warn the military of dangers they knew about – seeking to maximize their profits at the time. In fact, the asbestos manufacturers directly lied to their customers, including the military, claiming evidence that the material was safe. They formed “scientific committees” to advance the notion that asbestos was harmless – and even went so far as to pressure scientists from outside the asbestos industry to squelch their findings, and try to discredit those researchers who warned of asbestos’ dangers. Now it is time for the asbestos manufacturers to pay for the consequences of their greed and deception, which continues to bring tragedy to those who bravely served our Country along with their families.
We at the Goldberg Law Offices salute those who have bravely served our Country, and are shocked and angered at the network of lies and collusion among the asbestos manufacturers that has wrought preventable misery on Veterans and their families. We are willing to help Veterans secure whatever assistance and compensation is available. This may include governmental disability payments, directions to obtain medical help at VA facilities, and, of course, well-deserved legal compensation from the asbestos manufacturers who must be called to account for what they’ve done.
