The Air Force, Asbestos Exposure, and Mesothelioma Cancer
Established in 1947 by the National Security Act, the U.S. Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the military and the youngest of the nation’s armed forces. Originally part of the U.S. Army and operating under various names from 1907 to 1947, the Air Force has participated in arrays of military and humanitarian operations around the globe. Unfortunately for many Air Force veterans, most of the asbestos use by the federal government occurred throughout the service’s formative years and continued until the late 1970’s. As a result, thousands upon thousands of Air Force personnel and their dependents were exposed to asbestos. While many have already developed an asbestos-related disease, many more are still at risk of developing lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma cancer, as the asbestos-type illnesses typically lie dormant for several decades.
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other illness due to asbestos exposure, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. Use our free Asbestos Attorney Locator Tool to find a top mesothelioma attorney in your area. With over $30 billion currently in asbestos trust funds, now is the right time to take the first step in determining what you may qualify for..
The Ever Present Danger of Asbestos in the Air Force
Since the War Department’s creation of the Army Signal Corps’ Aeronautical Division in the summer of 1907, officers and enlisted men lived and worked in bases and installations built with asbestos-laden materials. Abundant and naturally-occurring, asbestos is a group of six fibrous minerals that can resist fire, high temperatures, chemical reactions, and electrical discharges. As a result, many industries used asbestos to make insulation, construction materials, and even garments that could withstand heat and fire.
The U.S. government became one of the asbestos industry’s largest customers. Every branch of the military wanted to protect personnel, facilities, and equipment from the effects of fire, extreme heat, and electric shocks. At the time, asbestos was touted as a safe and efficient fire and heat-resistance mineral. Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were used in barracks, hangars, aircraft repair facilities, fire stations, administration buildings, fuel storage tanks, and motor pools. Asbestos-laced cement and other materials were also used to construct on-base housing for officers, enlisted personnel, and their families.
Every air base built between 1907 and 1980 was constructed with large amounts of asbestos. This includes facilities set up when the Air Force was a semi-independent organization within the Army. The most extensive use of asbestos occurred between 1939 and the early 1970s, which coincided with the Army Air Force’s expansion during World War II, the establishment of the independent service, and the Cold War.
Peak Use of Asbestos by the Air Force During World War II
To understand the magnitude of the Air Force’s asbestos problem, it is important to remember that by July of 1944, the then-Army Air Forces operated 79,908 aircraft and had 2.4 million members. During World War II, this force built hundreds of bases in the U.S. and overseas while expanding those already in existence. This required the large scale use of asbestos which exposed service personnel to the toxic minerals no matter what their jobs were or where they were posted. While not all Air Force veterans who served in the 1940s suffer from the effects of asbestos-related diseases, at least 3,000 new cases a year are diagnosed.
Asbestos in the Postwar Air Force
Even with the post-World War II drawdown, the independent Air Force still had a large number of bases and installations which contained asbestos. In addition, many aircraft built between 1947 and 1980 contained parts made with ACMs. As was the case with other branches of the armed forces, safety protocols and federal law mandated the use of ACMs in Air Force property and aircraft until the late 1970s.
Starting in 1973, studies carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially linked asbestos exposure to lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. The Defense Department stopped using asbestos and ACMs for new construction and in Air Force equipment in 1980, but many older installations still contain large amounts of the cancer-causing material.
United States Air Force Bases with Possible Asbestos Association
Alabama:
Maxwell AFB and Gunter Annex, Montgomery
Brookley AFB, Mobile
Alaska:
Eielson AFB, Moose Creek
Elmendorf-Richardson AFB, Anchorage
Ladd AFB, Fairbanks
Arizona
Luke AFB, Glendale
Williams AFB, Mesa
California:
Edwards AFB, Rosamond
Hamilton Field AFB, San Pablo Bay
March Air Reserve Base, Riverside County
McClellan AFB, Riverside
Norton AFB, San Bernardino
Travis AFB, Travis
Vandenberg AFB, Lompoc
Colorado:
Lowry AFB, Denver
Delaware:
Dover AFB, Dover
Florida:
Eglin AFB, Eglin
Homestead AFB, Homestead
MacDill AFB, Tampa
Orlando AFB, Orlando
Patrick AFB, Brevard County
Tyndall AFB, Panama City
Georgia:
Dobbins AFB, Marietta
Hunter AFB, Savannah
Robins AFB, Warner Robins
Illinois:
Chanute AFB, Rantoul
Scott AFB, St. Clair County
Indiana:
Bakalar AFB, Columbus
Bunker Hill AFB, Kokomo
Kansas:
Forbes AFB, Topeka
McConnell AFB, Wichita
Schilling AFB, Saline County
Louisiana:
Barksdale AFB, Bossier City
Maine:
Air National Guard, Bangor
Loring AFB, Limestone
Massachusetts:
Hanscom AFB, Hanscom
Westover Air Reserve, Springfield
Michigan:
K.I. Sawyer AFB, Marquette County
Selfridge AFB, Harrison
Minnesota:
Duluth Air National Guard, Duluth
Missouri:
Richards-Gebaur AFB, Kansas City
Whiteman AFB, Knob Noster
New York:
Griffiss AFB, Rome
Hancock AFB, Syracuse
Ohio:
Rickenbacker AFB, Columbus
Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton
Oklahoma:
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City
Pennsylvania:
Harrisburg Air National Guard, Harrisburg
Rhode Island:
Rhode Island Air National Guard
South Carolina:
Charleston AFB, Charleston
Donaldson AFB, Greenville
Shaw AFB, Sumter
South Dakota:
Ellsworth AFB, Piedmont
Tennessee:
Arnold AFB, Franklin County
Texas:
Amarillo AFB, Potter County
Bergstrom AFB, Austin
Brooks AFB, San Antonio
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve, Fort Worth
James Connally AFB, Waco
Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo
Kelly AFB, San Antonio
Laredo AFB, Laredo
Midland AFB, Midland/Odessa
Reese AFB, Fort Worth
Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls
Utah:
Hill AFB, Ogden
Washington
Fairchild AFB, Spokane
Larson AFB, Grant County
McChord AFB, Pierce County
Wisconsin:
Truax AFB, Madison
Hawaii:
Hickam AFB, Oahu
Established in 1947 by the National Security Act, the U.S. Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the military and the youngest of the nation’s armed forces. Originally part of the U.S. Army and operating under various names from 1907 to 1947, the Air Force has participated in arrays of military and humanitarian operations around the globe. Unfortunately for many Air Force veterans, most of the asbestos use by the federal government occurred throughout the service’s formative years and continued until the late 1970’s. As a result, thousands upon thousands of Air Force personnel and their dependents were exposed to asbestos. While many have already developed an asbestos-related disease, many more are still at risk of developing lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma cancer, as the asbestos-type illnesses typically lie dormant for several decades.
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other illness due to asbestos exposure, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. Use our free Asbestos Attorney Locator Tool to find a top mesothelioma attorney in your area. With over $30 billion currently in asbestos trust funds, now is the right time to take the first step in determining what you may qualify for..
The Ever Present Danger of Asbestos in the Air Force
Since the War Department’s creation of the Army Signal Corps’ Aeronautical Division in the summer of 1907, officers and enlisted men lived and worked in bases and installations built with asbestos-laden materials. Abundant and naturally-occurring, asbestos is a group of six fibrous minerals that can resist fire, high temperatures, chemical reactions, and electrical discharges. As a result, many industries used asbestos to make insulation, construction materials, and even garments that could withstand heat and fire.
The U.S. government became one of the asbestos industry’s largest customers. Every branch of the military wanted to protect personnel, facilities, and equipment from the effects of fire, extreme heat, and electric shocks. At the time, asbestos was touted as a safe and efficient fire and heat-resistance mineral. Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were used in barracks, hangars, aircraft repair facilities, fire stations, administration buildings, fuel storage tanks, and motor pools. Asbestos-laced cement and other materials were also used to construct on-base housing for officers, enlisted personnel, and their families.
Every air base built between 1907 and 1980 was constructed with large amounts of asbestos. This includes facilities set up when the Air Force was a semi-independent organization within the Army. The most extensive use of asbestos occurred between 1939 and the early 1970s, which coincided with the Army Air Force’s expansion during World War II, the establishment of the independent service, and the Cold War.
Peak Use of Asbestos by the Air Force During World War II
To understand the magnitude of the Air Force’s asbestos problem, it is important to remember that by July of 1944, the then-Army Air Forces operated 79,908 aircraft and had 2.4 million members. During World War II, this force built hundreds of bases in the U.S. and overseas while expanding those already in existence. This required the large scale use of asbestos which exposed service personnel to the toxic minerals no matter what their jobs were or where they were posted. While not all Air Force veterans who served in the 1940s suffer from the effects of asbestos-related diseases, at least 3,000 new cases a year are diagnosed.
Asbestos in the Postwar Air Force
Even with the post-World War II drawdown, the independent Air Force still had a large number of bases and installations which contained asbestos. In addition, many aircraft built between 1947 and 1980 contained parts made with ACMs. As was the case with other branches of the armed forces, safety protocols and federal law mandated the use of ACMs in Air Force property and aircraft until the late 1970s.
Starting in 1973, studies carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially linked asbestos exposure to lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. The Defense Department stopped using asbestos and ACMs for new construction and in Air Force equipment in 1980, but many older installations still contain large amounts of the cancer-causing material.
United States Air Force Bases with Possible Asbestos Association
Alabama:
Maxwell AFB and Gunter Annex, Montgomery
Brookley AFB, Mobile
Alaska:
Eielson AFB, Moose Creek
Elmendorf-Richardson AFB, Anchorage
Ladd AFB, Fairbanks
Arizona
Luke AFB, Glendale
Williams AFB, Mesa
California:
Edwards AFB, Rosamond
Hamilton Field AFB, San Pablo Bay
March Air Reserve Base, Riverside County
McClellan AFB, Riverside
Norton AFB, San Bernardino
Travis AFB, Travis
Vandenberg AFB, Lompoc
Colorado:
Lowry AFB, Denver
Delaware:
Dover AFB, Dover
Florida:
Eglin AFB, Eglin
Homestead AFB, Homestead
MacDill AFB, Tampa
Orlando AFB, Orlando
Patrick AFB, Brevard County
Tyndall AFB, Panama City
Georgia:
Dobbins AFB, Marietta
Hunter AFB, Savannah
Robins AFB, Warner Robins
Illinois:
Chanute AFB, Rantoul
Scott AFB, St. Clair County
Indiana:
Bakalar AFB, Columbus
Bunker Hill AFB, Kokomo
Kansas:
Forbes AFB, Topeka
McConnell AFB, Wichita
Schilling AFB, Saline County
Louisiana:
Barksdale AFB, Bossier City
Maine:
Air National Guard, Bangor
Loring AFB, Limestone
Massachusetts:
Hanscom AFB, Hanscom
Westover Air Reserve, Springfield
Michigan:
K.I. Sawyer AFB, Marquette County
Selfridge AFB, Harrison
Minnesota:
Duluth Air National Guard, Duluth
Missouri:
Richards-Gebaur AFB, Kansas City
Whiteman AFB, Knob Noster
New York:
Griffiss AFB, Rome
Hancock AFB, Syracuse
Ohio:
Rickenbacker AFB, Columbus
Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton
Oklahoma:
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City
Pennsylvania:
Harrisburg Air National Guard, Harrisburg
Rhode Island:
Rhode Island Air National Guard
South Carolina:
Charleston AFB, Charleston
Donaldson AFB, Greenville
Shaw AFB, Sumter
South Dakota:
Ellsworth AFB, Piedmont
Tennessee:
Arnold AFB, Franklin County
Texas:
Amarillo AFB, Potter County
Bergstrom AFB, Austin
Brooks AFB, San Antonio
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve, Fort Worth
James Connally AFB, Waco
Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo
Kelly AFB, San Antonio
Laredo AFB, Laredo
Midland AFB, Midland/Odessa
Reese AFB, Fort Worth
Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls
Utah:
Hill AFB, Ogden
Washington
Fairchild AFB, Spokane
Larson AFB, Grant County
McChord AFB, Pierce County
Wisconsin:
Truax AFB, Madison
Hawaii:
Hickam AFB, Oahu
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