U.S. Navy Veterans Who Were Assigned as Hot Suit Men Faced Exposure to Asbestos

Tragically, countless Navy vets were exposed to asbestos while serving aboard aircraft carriers and other Navy ships. Prior to the 1970s, many brave men who worked as hot suit men wore protective clothing made with the cancer-causing mineral.

If you or a loved one is a Navy veteran that has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, our attorneys can provide vital information about your legal rights and options.

Over the years, hundreds of U.S. Navy veterans served aboard ship as a Hot Suit Man, a term that not only described their job, but the equipment they wore.

A Hot Suit is the term for the fire-resistant firefighting ensemble (known as FFEs) worn by those trained to fight fires aboard aircraft carriers. The outside of the FFE hot suits are covered with a silver material that protects these men from the intense heat when battling a blaze.

Because of their specialized occupation aboard ship, the men who served in the Crash and Salvage team were also called Hot Suits or Hot Suit Men. In addition to being the first line of defense if a fire broke out on the deck of an aircraft carrier, the FFEs worn by the Hot Suits would also provide heat protection which helped them to assist with rescues of those in fighter aircraft accidents.

Asbestos Materials Used Aboard Aircraft Carriers
For decades, the FFEs worn by the Hot Suits were made using asbestos, a dangerous carcinogen (cancer-causing substance). During the Korean War era, evaluation studies of the FFEs addressed changes to help the Hot Suits to be better able to fight fires. While the studies focused on the actual design of the FFEs, the outer covers of the FFEs were still made using asbestos cloth.

In addition to the FFEs, asbestos materials were used extensively aboard aircraft carriers and other Navy ships.  Asbestos insulation was used extensively in the engine room, the boiler room and the pump room, and asbestos-containing felt was used in the magazine and powder rooms. The snipes, gunners, gunners’ mates and other crew members assigned to these areas faced daily exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos insulation was applied to the pipes that traveled through the entire ship, including the pipes on the ceilings in crew quarters. Vibrations from the engine rooms, weapon discharges and other activities aboard ship would cause the asbestos to flake from the pipes onto crew bunks, causing additional asbestos exposure to aircraft carrier crews.

Health Problems Caused by Asbestos Exposure
Sadly, countless Navy veterans exposed to asbestos aboard ship developed asbestos-related diseases decades after they left active service.

Since the time between exposure to asbestos and when symptoms of disease are first noticed can be 30-40 or more years (known as “latency periods"), Navy vets who served when they were in their 20s may not be diagnosed with an asbestos disease until they are reaching retirement age.

This long latency is caused by the way asbestos fibers damage the lungs. Microscopic asbestos fibers have sharp, jagged edges which cause them to attach inside the lungs when they are inhaled instead of being expelled by coughing or sneezing like other airborne irritants or pollutants.

The asbestos fibers cause lung tissues to scar over the long latency period, where they can eventually cause a number of diseases to develop. Extensive scarring in the lungs can cause asbestos patients to develop serious chronic breathing diseases such as asbestosis or emphysema. In more serious cases, the scarred lungs will develop mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer tumors.

How Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
If your family is facing a loved ones diagnosis with asbestos disease, we may be able to help you to seek justice for your illness and file a lawsuit on your behalf.

Please complete the form on this page for a free and confidential review of your potential asbestos lawsuit or request a free copy of our asbestos sourcebook. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.