Health
The United
States has fought many
wars
over the course of the 20th and 21st Centuries, sending
millions of men and women into harm's way to defend
American interests, protect our allies and weaker nations
from dictators and extremists.
Many of those
millions of war veterans are still alive and form a
significant part of American society. Many of these
veterans deal with various issues from their military
service. In particular, many World
War Two
vets deal with health issues connected to exposure
to asbestos (Mesothelioma).
Two of the
persistent medical conditions affecting American military
veterans from the 1930s onward are asbestosis and
mesothelioma. Both are serious diseases caused through
exposure to asbestos. Why are military veterans and
civilians who worked on military bases and naval ships
and dockyards at risk? Many U.S. military installations
still contain asbestos fibers and material since many of
the buildings on military bases were constucted prior to
1970. Many of those buildings still stand and are in use
by today's military personnel.
The U.S. Navy,
however, is still contains the highest concentration of
asbestos among all the military services. Nearly every
naval ship commissioned between 1930 and the early 1970s
was built with asbestos coating on engine room pipes and
boilers, on piping and ductwork ship wide, and contained
asbestos insulation throughout the entire ship that which
provided effective fire protection.
The two main
diseases that are caused by asbestos are asbestosis -
which scars the lungs and leads to greatly reduced lung
capacity - and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that
typically develops in the membranes lining the outside of
the lungs, the heart and the walls of the abdominal and
chest cavities.
Resources, News, and
Links on Mesothelioma and Veterans:
Malcolm
McLaren, Sex Pistols Manager, Dies of Mesothelioma at the
age of 64 --MusicHistory News
Hamilton
Jordan, President Carter's chief of staff,
dies--Atlanta Journal Constitution--former Carter
Administration Chief of Staff dies of Mesothelioma.
