Korean War Veterans and Mesothelioma

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The men and women who fought in the Korean War shipped out five years after the end of World War II and in many cases, using equipment that was contaminated with asbestos. The Navy and Merchant Marine ships used to transport American troops to Korea, Japan and the other Asian bases were built in the 1940s, which means they were built with asbestos-containing insulation, fire retardant and other products. The military vehicles shipped with the infantry were still being manufactured with asbestos products that included brakes, gaskets, fittings, bearing seals, and insulation.

The Army and Marine brigades assembled for transport to Korea trained and were housed in barracks, shops, and buildings. Those structures were also built with asbestos-containing products that included flooring, ceiling tiles, roofing material or shingles, siding, insulation, and even cement. Korean War veterans served in an era when asbestos products were not only legal but highly popular for many, many uses.  The tragedy, is that is was well known at the time that asbestos was dangerous to a person’s health.

Asbestos is a highly fire resistant material that is also fibrous, resilient, and in some forms can be used to weave textiles. Tons of asbestos insulation and fire protection material were used on every Navy and commercial vessel built from about 1930 to 1970, so the sailors on those ships during the Korean conflict suffered the same asbestos exposure that their predecessors had experienced and decades later, began to get sick from it. Men who serviced Army and Marine vehicles, armor and motorized equipment were exposed in similar fashion to fittings, brake shoes, gaskets, and seals manufactured from asbestos.

Mesothelioma and Korean War Veterans

Mesothelioma is the lethal malignant cancer caused by asbestos that develops in the chest or abdomen. The only known cause for this disease is asbestos fibers that are given off by asbestos products and inhaled by unsuspecting workers, soldiers or sailors. Mesothelioma affects Korean War veterans forty or fifty years after their exposure to asbestos, because that’s the latency period for this type of cancer. Men and women who served in Korea began to develop asbestos in the 1980s and many cases are still occuring today.

It took years, but the Veterans Administration finally recognized asbestos related diseases as a disability that is possibly related to military service. Korean War veterans who can prove that they were exposed to asbestos during active duty and who have developed an asbestos related disease may be eligible for service-related disability and medical treatment.

Korean War veterans can also take legal action against the asbestos product manufacturers, just as hundreds of thousands of other asbestos victims have done. There have been about 800,000 lawsuits filed against asbestos companies by veterans and others who have been sickened by their products. The companies have paid out billions in settlements.

If you are a Korean veteran with an asbestos related disease you may be eligible for compensation. Contact the Asbestos Legal Center, at 1-800-970-DUST, and one of our attorneys will review your case, in complete confidence and at no charge.