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How Can a Hull Maintenance Technician Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Hull maintenance technicians fabricate, install and repair various metal structures on Navy ships to keep all types of shipboard structures and surfaces in safe condition. They also maintain shipboard plumbing and marine sanitation systems, operate and maintain ballast control systems and repair small boats. Sometimes, they also perform firefighting duties.
These workers could have been exposed to asbestos that was contained in insulation when fibers broke off from it when they were repairing piping systems and other components on the ship. Old firefighting protective equipment also contained asbestos, posing another potential source of exposure to asbestos.
Some of the common duties of hull maintenance technicians include:
- Fabricate with light and heavy gauge metal
- Install, maintain and repair valves, plumbing system fittings and fixtures, and piping
- Repair decks, structures and hulls
- Repair installed ventilation ducting
- Install and repair insulation and lagging
- Test and examine shipboard structures
- Operate marine sanitation systems
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Hull Maintenance Technician
Approximately 2,800 people are currently classified as hull maintenance technicians. These workers are deployed to areas where they are needed, based on defense and security needs, which are commonly in coastal states.
Similar Occupations as Hull Maintenance Technician
Similar occupations as hull maintenance technicians include the following:
- Boatswain’s mate
- Boilermaker
- Construction worker
- Damage controlman
- Deck worker
- Drywall worker
- Electrician’s mate
- Engineman
- Pipefitter
- Steamfitter
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Hull Maintenance Technicians and Mesothelioma
Individuals who were exposed to asbestos during their Navy careers may have a variety of legal options for pursuing compensation if they were exposed to asbestos during their jobs. Many veterans may not have been warned about the dangers of asbestos products even when they were routinely exposed to them. While the United States government is immune from liability stemming from this exposure, veterans may be able to receive VA benefits or compensation from an asbestos trust fund or personal
Studies Related to Hull Maintenance Technicians and Asbestos
A few studies have discussed the dangers of asbestos exposure to Navy professionals. A 2018 Vanderbilt University study found a significantly higher number of mesothelioma fatalities among Navy veterans who worked in areas with a high potential for asbestos exposure. The study identified 114,000 servicemembers who worked on atomic weapons between 1945 and 1962. While these workers worked with these weapons, their exposure typically came from other sources. The study found that only 20% of the workers had high potential for exposure to asbestos, but they represented 55% of the deaths. Many of these workers, including boiler technicians, water tenders, machinist’s mates and pipefitters worked around the same types of materials that a hull maintenance technician may have been exposed to.
In 2011, a study entitled “Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970)” was published in the journal Inhalation Toxicology. This study revealed the government’s knowledge of various asbestos dangers and noted that it was aware of a connection between asbestosis and asbestos exposure in 1930. The Navy stopped using asbestos products by 1980, well after much of the damage had already been done.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Hull Maintenance Technicians
Before the dangers of asbestos was common knowledge, products containing this material were found on many vessels. At one point in history, Navy ships contained more than 300 asbestos-containing products. Gunner’s mates may have been exposed to a variety of asbestos-containing products, such as:
- Boilers
- Pumps, valves and hydraulics
- Gaskets and packings
- Liners
- Sealants and adhesives
- Pipe and duct wrappings
- Wallboard and dryboard
- Electrical wire coatings
- Fireboxes
- Spray-on, batt, block and loose-fill insulation
- Capacitors, meters and relays
- Cement powder
- Mortar mix
- Deck and floor tiles
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Hull Maintenance Technicians
Some of the large manufacturers that distributed asbestos-containing products also sold these materials to the Navy. Some of the largest manufacturers of asbestos-containing materials include:
- P. Green Industries
- Abex Corporation
- Amatex Corporation
- Armstrong World Industries
- Babcock and Wilcox
- Bestwall Gypsum
- Borg Warner Company
- Celotex
- Certainteed Corporation
- Cleaver-Brooks
- Combustion Engineering
- Crane Co.
- Crown Cork and Seal
- Dana Corporation
- Thurston & Sons
- Federal Mogul Corporation
- Flexitallic Gasket Company
- Foseco
- Foster Wheeler
- GAF Corporation
- Garlock
- General Electric
- Harbison Walker Refractories Co.
- Honeywell Heating
- T. Thorpe Inc.
- John Crane
- Johns Manville
- Kaiser Aluminum
- H. Detrick Company
- National Gypsum
- North American Refractories
- Owens Corning Fiberglass
- Owens Illinois
- Pacor Incorporated
- Pittsburgh Corning
- Porter Hayden Company
- Rapid American Phillip Carey Manufacturing
- Raybestos Manhattan Raymark Industries
- UNARCO
- Union Carbide
- R. Grace
The following types of Navy ships used asbestos-containing materials:
- Aircraft barriers
- Ammunition and explosive freighters
- Amphibious assault craft
- Auxiliary ships
- Battleships
- Cruisers
- Cutters
- Destroyers
- Destroyer escorts
- Escort carriers
- Frigates
- Hospital vessels
- Landing craft
- Liberty ships
- Merchant marine ships
- Minesweepers
- Oilers and tankers
- Patrol boats
- Submarines
- Troop carriers
