The USS Antietam (CV-36) served the U.S. Navy over twenty years, starting at the end of World War II and continuing through the Korean War. But those who served or worked on the Antietam continue to face dangers today from asbestos exposure on the aircraft carrier, making service on or around the USS Antietam and…
Direct exposure to asbestos means you have made contact with asbestos itself or with material that contains asbestos, one of six different naturally occurring minerals. This contact has allowed you to inhale or ingest asbestos fibers. (Indirect exposure to asbestos would be like “secondhand” smoke—you were not involved in the smoking but inhaled the smoke…
Peritoneal mesothelioma is the second most common type of malignant mesothelioma. It occurs in the protective lining of the abdomen called the peritoneum. With 400 new cases diagnosed per year, peritoneal mesothelioma makes up 15-20% of new cases of malignant mesothelioma diagnosed annually. Like other mesotheliomas, peritoneal mesothelioma has been linked to asbestos exposure. Current asbestos…
Pericardial mesothelioma is the least common of mesotheliomas linked to asbestos exposure. Unlike pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas which affect the lungs and abdomen respectively, pericardial mesothelioma impacts the heart. Specifically, the malignancy occurs in the pericardium, the protective, mesothelial layer that surrounds the heart. Accounting for 1-2% of all mesothelioma cases, fewer than 50 people…
Medical research has established that asbestos exposure can cause a variety of diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Typically, diseases which result from asbestos exposure occur when asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, resulting in the release of asbestos fibers into the air which are then inhaled or ingested by individuals in the vicinity. By far,…