Navy Boiler Tenders Worked with Asbestos During Active Military Service: At Risk for Mesothelioma, Other Diseases

Thousands of Navy veterans, including those who served as boiler tenders, were exposed to asbestos on an almost daily basis during their military service. These men and women are at risk to develop serious illnesses such as mesothelioma cancer, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis caused by their military exposure.

Boiler tenders and other Navy personnel serving on the nation’s fleet of ships faced a number of hazards in defense of their country. But a silent hazard they routinely faced is now to blame for countless Navy veterans who have developed asbestos disease caused by exposure to the dangerous carcinogen (cancer-causing material) that occurred during their tours of duty.

As late as the 1960s, asbestos was still used on Navy ships. The boiler tenders (also called snipes—a long-standing Navy nickname for enlisted personnel who worked in the engine room), would routinely sweep asbestos dusts in the engine room and bilges.  Many boiler tenders also reported they helped to apply asbestos-containing materials (ACM) on pipes in the engine room.

When the boiler tenders and laggers cut and applied asbestos insulation, they did so without masks, gloves or any other protective equipment. Navy veterans also reported that when working with ACM, the air would be filled with asbestos dust that would cling to their skin and clothes.

Asbestos Exposure and Risk of Disease
The time between first exposure to asbestos and when symptoms of an asbestos-related disease appear (known as the latency period) is typically 30 or more years long. Because ACM was used in a number of areas of Navy ships, those who served as late as the Vietnam era may only now be showing signs of an asbestos illness.

This latency period is caused by the microscopic structure of asbestos. When asbestos dusts are inhaled, they attach to lung tissue and are not expelled by coughing, sneezing or blowing one's nose. After several decades, the asbestos can eventually cause lung tissues to scar (asbestosis or pleural plaques) or cause abnormal changes in new lung cells that can lead to mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer.

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