Like with the Navy, the ships used to be loaded with asbestos-based products, and in fact, over 300 ship components were used in the ships. Anyone around, regardless of military branch, was exposed to these toxic fibers. Unfortunately, this has led to many Marines to getting diseases like cancer and mesothelioma.

Don’t Worry: Compensation Available

Luckily, those who developed these illnesses as a result of their service will be entitled to the maximum level of compensation, based on the size of the family. Even if you’re a spouse who had a service member who died, you could be entitled to benefits. If you want to receive these benefits, you will have to file a claim with the VA. You will need to show medical proof of the diagnosis, and you will have to show a written asbestos exposure summary to prove it.

Many people have found the process complicated, which is why you may find it useful to hire an accredited claims agent. You want to hire someone who has familiarity with these diseases.

Those Who Developed the Disease

You have countless examples of individuals who have developed the disease as a result of the service in this military branch. For example, Steve McQueen, an actor nicknamed “The King of Cool,” developed this disease from serving under this branch. He stripped the insulation off the pipes, which was a product of this carcinogenic mineral. They first diagnosed him in 1979. He died less than one year later, which gives us an example of how fast this aggressive form of cancer acts. Many people don’t make it past the first year if they don’t receive treatment fast enough.

Existance in Every Military Branch

Within every branch of the military, you have danger from exposure to these products because once the toxic fibers get into your lungs, it can be impossible to remove. Eventually, it leads to inflammation and one of the diseases associated with it. Any veteran who spent time in the shipyards or aboard a ship could have some dangers associated with it. Along with that, poor ventilation only served to exasperate the problem. They were exposed to this dust daily because they used these products with gaskets, cables and valves found throughout the ship.

Typically, they applied this insulation within the shipyards. This created some of the worst conditions for getting exposed to this product. In fact, even in the civilian shipyards, you have a risk that you could get exposed to these fibers. They used this as a type of fire retardant because of how it cost little and had good results with preventing fires. Fire on a ship could be devastating to everyone. For that reason, they tried their best to keep these fires from arising. Unfortunately, from the 1930s up until the 1970s, few people knew its links to cancers and different health conditions.