Asbestos Exposure on the USS Independence

Great Lakes, ILWhen Steve was 17 years old he enlisted in the Navy as a boiler technician. He didn't know that his job description would also include asbestos clean-up. "We removed asbestos without respirators for three months," says Steve. "Once the medical officer found out, he demanded that we get issued respirators but the damage had already been done." Steve now wonders if he should file an asbestos lawsuit.

Steve worked on the aircraft carrier USS Independence CV-62, which was commissioned in 1959. Like all ships built by the Navy before the mid-1970s, the Independence was filled with cables, gaskets, valves, adhesives and other materials that contained asbestos, especially in areas where the vessel required fireproofing and pipe insulation. The engine room and the boiler room—where Steve worked—contained the highest levels of contamination. Maintenance workers, machinists and boiler technicians were exposed to asbestos on a regular basis. Even now, veterans who were exposed to asbestos fibers decades ago are being diagnosed with asbestosis and mesothelioma.

"In 1978 the Independence had a major overhaul that involved removing asbestos," says Steve. "I knew that asbestos was dangerous and I asked my division officers for respirators but they told me to get back to work. The asbestos was so thick in these rooms it would dim the lights. All of us maintenance workers were coughing up soot and asbestos fibers. After three months I couldn't take it anymore. I told the ship's medical officers and they told the senior officers that we shouldn't go back into these rooms without respirators. But my senior officer got mad at me and made me work longer hours. I remember that I couldn't take a deep breath without coughing my head off.

"One of my co-workers got a grapefruit-sized tumor in his lung. He had an operation and was discharged from the Navy. He was a friend of mine; I've been trying to contact him but I haven't heard from you for many years; I think he might have passed away.

"I've been having sharp pains in my chest and shortness of breath for several years now. Unfortunately I don't qualify to get VA benefits because I was voided out of the Navy (I was fraudulently recruited but that's another story).

"I need to fill out some forms with the VA so I can get my lungs checked, but I just put things off because I'm worried about the outcome.

"I know I have a lot of scarring in my lungs. I had pulmonary tests done on the ship and requested all my military health records. The navy sent me everything except these pulmonary tests and I believe they did this on purpose to avoid a lawsuit. I do have a document from the navy that states 'asbestos cleanup' in my job description.

"I talked to a friend just today who has asbestosis; he was exposed to asbestos at work many years ago—I'm wondering if it's just a matter of time before I'm diagnosed with asbestos disease."