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By Charlene Rubush, June 13, 2012 7:52 pm

Today I am posting a guest blog by Michelle Y. Llamas, who is a writer for the Mesothelioma Center. She is committed to generating awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and providing information regarding breakthroughs in mesothelioma treatment.

As a side note, my husband, an Army veteran, is living with asbestosis. While having surgery several years ago, the doctor found asbestos in his lungs. He’s also been diagnosed with BALT Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

How Asbestos Affected U.S. Veterans

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is resistant to heat, chemical corrosion and electricity. It is exactly because of these properties that the military used it often for a variety of uses including construction of base facilities, in battleships, on vehicles and in weaponry.

When asbestos is broken or damaged, mineral fibers become airborne and are easily inhaled or ingested. Asbestos-containing materials were regularly disturbed during military drills, artillery tests, routine machine repair, renovation of base facilities and maintenance of vehicles.

Even servicemen and women who worked in civilian jobs as construction workers, electricians, plumbers, AC workers and other trades were exposed to asbestos. After the new regulations regarding the new uses of asbestos were created in the 1980s, existing uses of asbestos remained.

Continue reading 'Asbestos Exposure Affects Too Many Veterans'»