Seabees Jobs & Occupations Asbestos Exposure
U.S. Navy Seabees performed some of the military’s most demanding construction, engineering, maintenance, and repair work. Seabee assignments included building airfields, roads, barracks, warehouses, ports, utilities, hospitals, base housing, and other military facilities throughout the United States and overseas.
For much of the 20th century, many construction and industrial products contained asbestos because of its resistance to heat, fire, friction, and electrical hazards. Seabees working in certain construction trades could encounter asbestos-containing insulation, pipe covering, gaskets, packing, cement products, electrical materials, mechanical equipment, and other building products.
Some occupations involved direct handling of these materials. Other Seabees could experience exposure while working near coworkers who cut, removed, repaired, sanded, drilled, or otherwise disturbed asbestos-containing products.
The following Seabee jobs and occupations may help veterans and their families identify where occupational asbestos exposure could have occurred during military service.
On This Page
- Seabee Carpenters Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Construction Workers Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Electricians Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Mechanics Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Pipefitters Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Welders Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Heavy Equipment Operators Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Maintenance Crews Asbestos Exposure
- Seabee Engineers Asbestos Exposure
- How Seabee Occupational Asbestos Exposure Occurred
- Common Asbestos Products Seabees Could Encounter
- Seabee Work Sites and Asbestos Exposure
- Secondhand Asbestos Exposure
- Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lung Cancer
- Help for Seabee Veterans and Families
Seabee Carpenters Asbestos Exposure
Seabee carpenters helped construct, renovate, and repair military buildings and other structures. Their work could involve walls, ceilings, floors, roofing systems, partitions, housing, barracks, warehouses, and other facilities.
Depending on the time period and project, older construction materials could contain asbestos. Cutting, drilling, sanding, removing, or renovating these materials could disturb asbestos fibers.
Learn more:
Seabee Construction Workers Asbestos Exposure
Construction was at the center of the Seabee mission. Seabees built and repaired military infrastructure under conditions ranging from established bases to temporary and remote construction sites.
Construction workers could work around asbestos-containing insulation, cement products, mechanical systems, roofing materials, flooring, wall materials, and other products historically used in military and commercial construction.
Renovation, demolition, maintenance, and repair could create additional exposure potential when older asbestos-containing materials were disturbed.
Learn more:
Seabee Electricians Asbestos Exposure
Seabee electricians installed, maintained, and repaired electrical systems needed to operate military facilities and construction projects.
Historically, asbestos was incorporated into certain electrical and heat-resistant products. Electricians could encounter older electrical insulation, panels, wiring-related materials, equipment insulation, and asbestos-containing materials surrounding electrical systems.
Work performed in boiler rooms, mechanical spaces, power facilities, and older buildings could also place electricians near asbestos-containing insulation and other products being disturbed by different trades.
Learn more:
Seabee Mechanics Asbestos Exposure
Mechanics kept Seabee vehicles, construction equipment, generators, machinery, and other mechanical systems operating.
Historically, some brakes, clutches, gaskets, packing, insulation, and other heat- or friction-resistant components contained asbestos.
Maintenance and repair could disturb these components. Removing old gaskets, servicing brakes or clutches, repairing engines, and working on other mechanical equipment could create opportunities for asbestos exposure.
Learn more:
Seabee Pipefitters Asbestos Exposure
Pipefitters installed and maintained piping systems used for water, steam, heating, fuel, and other military applications.
Older piping systems frequently incorporated insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and other materials designed to withstand heat and pressure. Some historical products contained asbestos.
Removing deteriorated pipe insulation or replacing asbestos-containing gaskets and packing could disturb fibers. Pipefitters could also work near boilers, pumps, valves, and other equipment that incorporated asbestos-containing materials.
Learn more:
Seabee Welders Asbestos Exposure
Welding and metal fabrication were important to military construction, equipment repair, utilities, structural work, and other Seabee operations.
Because asbestos resists heat and fire, it was historically incorporated into some protective and insulating materials used around high-temperature work.
Welders could also work around insulated pipes, boilers, mechanical equipment, and other systems containing older asbestos materials.
Learn more:
Seabee Heavy Equipment Operators Asbestos Exposure
Heavy equipment operators used bulldozers, graders, loaders, cranes, excavators, and other machinery to prepare and complete military construction projects.
Some older construction machinery could contain asbestos-containing friction products, gaskets, insulation, and other heat-resistant components.
Operators could encounter asbestos while maintaining equipment themselves or while working near mechanics performing repairs.
Learn more:
Seabee Maintenance Crews Asbestos Exposure
Maintenance personnel worked throughout military installations repairing buildings, utilities, machinery, vehicles, heating systems, plumbing, electrical systems, and other infrastructure.
Their duties could require disturbing older construction and mechanical materials during repairs.
Because maintenance crews worked across many different areas of a facility, they could potentially encounter asbestos-containing products in mechanical rooms, boiler rooms, barracks, warehouses, housing, power facilities, and other structures.
Learn more:
Seabee Engineers Asbestos Exposure
Seabee engineers supported the planning, construction, operation, inspection, and maintenance of military infrastructure.
Depending on their specific duties, engineers could work around construction crews, mechanical systems, utilities, power facilities, equipment, and renovation projects where asbestos-containing materials were present.
Exposure did not necessarily require directly handling an asbestos product. Personnel working near activities that disturbed asbestos-containing materials could also potentially inhale airborne fibers.
Learn more:
How Seabee Occupational Asbestos Exposure Occurred
The potential for asbestos exposure varied according to a Seabee’s occupation, duty station, time period, construction assignment, and daily responsibilities.
Potential exposure situations included:
- Cutting or removing older construction materials
- Repairing insulated pipes and mechanical systems
- Replacing gaskets and packing
- Servicing vehicle brakes and clutches
- Repairing boilers, generators, pumps, and HVAC equipment
- Performing electrical repairs
- Renovating or demolishing older military buildings
- Working near other trades disturbing asbestos-containing products
- Cleaning shops and construction areas after maintenance work
When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, microscopic fibers can become airborne and may be inhaled.
Common Asbestos Products Seabees Could Encounter
The particular products encountered depended on the occupation and work site.
Historical asbestos-containing materials could include:
- Pipe and boiler insulation
- Gaskets
- Valve and pump packing
- Brake and clutch components
- Electrical insulation
- Cement products
- Flooring materials
- Roofing materials
- Mechanical insulation
- Heat-resistant materials
- Building materials used in older military facilities
Not every product or piece of equipment contained asbestos. Product manufacturers, installation dates, military records, construction specifications, maintenance records, and other historical evidence may be important when investigating an individual veteran’s exposure.
Seabee Equipment & Machinery Asbestos Exposure
Occupation and equipment exposure frequently overlapped.
A mechanic might service vehicles and generators. An electrician could work around electrical and power equipment. Pipefitters could repair pumps and boilers. Heavy equipment operators could work around construction machinery requiring regular maintenance.
For this reason, a veteran’s occupational history should be considered together with the equipment and machinery used during his or her service.
Explore the Seabees Equipment & Machinery Asbestos Exposure hub for information about construction equipment, vehicles, boilers, generators, electrical equipment, welding equipment, pumps, and HVAC systems.
Seabee Work Sites and Asbestos Exposure
The location where a Seabee worked can be as important as the occupation itself.
Seabee construction and maintenance assignments could take place at:
- Military bases
- Airfields
- Ports and harbors
- Barracks
- Warehouses
- Power facilities
- Base housing
- Hospitals
- Overseas construction sites
Different occupations could work side by side at the same construction site. As a result, asbestos disturbed by one trade could potentially expose personnel performing other jobs nearby.
Learn more:
Secondhand Asbestos Exposure to Seabee Families
Occupational exposure could sometimes extend beyond the military workplace.
Asbestos fibers released during construction or maintenance work could settle on work clothing and other materials. Historically, fibers carried home on contaminated clothing could expose family members who handled or laundered those clothes.
Learn more:
Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lung Cancer in Seabees
Asbestos-related illnesses can develop decades after exposure.
Diseases associated with asbestos exposure include:
- Malignant mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Asbestosis
- Pleural disease and other asbestos-related conditions
The long latency of asbestos-related disease means a Seabee who encountered asbestos during military construction work many years ago may only recently have developed symptoms or received a diagnosis.
For veterans with lung cancer, learn more about Seabee occupational exposure through the Seabees Asbestos Lung Cancer section.
Reconstructing a Seabee’s Occupational Exposure History
Determining where asbestos exposure occurred decades ago can be difficult.
Useful information may include:
- Seabee occupation or rating
- Years of military service
- Duty stations
- Construction battalion assignments
- Military bases and project locations
- Buildings constructed or repaired
- Equipment operated or maintained
- Products and manufacturers used
- Coworker testimony
- Civilian employment before or after military service
A detailed work history can help identify possible sources of exposure that may otherwise have been forgotten.
VA Benefits and Compensation for Seabee Veterans
Veterans diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease may have more than one potential source of financial assistance or compensation depending on their individual circumstances.
These may include VA disability benefits, asbestos trust fund claims, lawsuits against responsible companies, and wrongful death claims for qualifying surviving family members.
Eligibility depends on the facts of each case, including the veteran’s diagnosis, exposure history, military service, products involved, and applicable legal requirements.
Help for Seabee Veterans and Their Families
A mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer diagnosis can occur decades after a Seabee’s military service ended. Reconstructing an exposure history may require looking beyond a single job title.
Military occupation, construction projects, equipment, work sites, manufacturers, and specific products can all help identify where exposure may have occurred.
Did You Work as a Seabee and Later Develop an Asbestos-Related Disease?
If you or a family member served with the U.S. Navy Seabees and was later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease, help is available to investigate possible military and occupational asbestos exposure.
Call 800.291.0963
24/7 Chat — 365 Days a Year
Learn about potential VA benefits, asbestos trust funds, legal claims, and other compensation options available to qualifying Seabee veterans and families.