Navy veterans: You Have a Right to Seek Compensation for Your Asbestos illness

In August 2008, the Madison St. Clair Record reported on a Navy veteran who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer.  The man served in the Navy during the 1960s and 1970s, where he trained as a machinist and worked in the engine and boiler rooms.

This veteran, like tens of thousands of other retired Navy personnel who served aboard ships or worked at Navy yards repairing or refitting ships, was exposed to asbestos, a dangerous cancer-causing mineral known to cause serious diseases including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis.

Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) were used in almost every area of the ship, including the engine room, powder rooms and boiler rooms.  The pipes that ran across the ceilings in ship bunk quarters were insulated with asbestos, causing many Navy veterans to recall asbestos fibers and dust falling on them while they slept in their bunks.

Asbestos and Latency Periods
Unlike many other dangerous substances that can cause illness soon after exposure, there are decades long latency periods (the time between first exposure and when symptoms of illness may be first noticed) for asbestos illnesses. 

Tiny asbestos fibers have sharp, jagged edges, causing them to attach to lung tissue.  30-40 or more years later, those microscopic fibers can result in lung tissue scarring (which can cause chronic lung diseases such as pleural plaques and asbestosis) or for the lungs to produce abnormal cells (causing lung cancer tumors and mesothelioma).

Asbestos-Disease Patients Have a Limited Time to File a Lawsuit
Even though asbestos exposure may have happened a very long time ago, your right to seek compensation begins when your loved one is diagnosed with an asbestos disease.  However, that begins the clock to tick on how long your family has to file a lawsuit.  The statute of limitations varies from state to state, so it is important that you seek the advice of an experienced asbestos lawyer sooner rather than later.

Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
For over 20 years, Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. has represented thousands of families whose spouse or parent has been diagnosed with an asbestos disease.  Our asbestos lawyers are ready to help your family to seek justice from the companies that produced the asbestos products that caused illness. 

Complete the form on this page for a free review of your case and to request a copy of our free asbestos sourcebook.  A representative of our law firm will contact you as soon as possible.