Products and areas frequented by Navy personnel often contained large amounts of asbestos, a “miracle fiber” best known for its fire-proofing capabilities. This may have included engine rooms, boiler rooms, weapons and ammunition storage rooms, sleeping quarters, shipyards, navigation rooms, mess halls, flooring, wall insulation and ship machinery such as pumps, motors, condensers and compressors. Asbestos fibers are most harmful when they become airborne. The construction, renovation and demolition of ships or naval facilities, as well as any damage to these areas and items, can lead to the release of asbestos fibers into the air. As Naval ships age, the asbestos can become more brittle and more likely to become airborne.

Asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma take years to develop; latency periods usually fall somewhere between 20 to 50 years. Veterans most at risk served in the military between the 1930s and 1970s. Today, veterans who served in the military decades ago are now experiencing mesothelioma symptoms like shortness of breath, weight loss, chest pain, fluid in the lungs, wheezing, coughing, abdominal swelling and more, depending on the type of mesothelioma.

In the last few years, the U.S. Department of Defense has placed more attention on the issue of mesothelioma and veterans. In 2008, the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) included mesothelioma as a research priority for the first time. Funding was awarded to five mesothelioma researchers between 2008 and 2009, and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation has been proactively urging mesothelioma investigators to submit applications for funding over the past two years.

Although this funding is a significant advancement for mesothelioma research, more improvement is needed. While the number of U.S. veterans with mesothelioma continues to rise, the total funding for research on mesothelioma still lags behind other cancers. Less than $6 million was put towards mesothelioma research by the National Cancer Institute between 2004 to 2007, the most recent years for which there are figures. This amounts to approximately 1 percent of NCI’s total annual budget.

Under the Department of Veteran Affairs, U.S. veterans affected by mesothelioma may be eligible for VA disability compensation benefits or healthcare benefits for any health problems they are experiencing that may be associated with asbestos exposure while serving in the military. Dependents and survivors of veterans may also be eligible. Mesothelioma litigation is another option, as experienced mesothelioma lawyers are assisting veterans every day.