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Quotes from Those Whose Lives Have Been Affected by Asbestos Disease
"In May, 1956, I went to boot camp in Maryland, and shortly afterward,
boarded the aircraft carrier, USS Intrepid. I was immediately sent down
to the boiler room as a fireman apprentice. Every day I worked with asbestos.
Little did I know that one day, just by doing my duty, I would come down
with this dreadful disease."
— Navy Fireman, mesothelioma.
"I remember we would make our own "lagging" by dumping
loose asbestos in a bucket and pouring water into it. We'd mix it up with
our bare hands B no gloves or anything B till it made kind of a mud, then
we'd slap it on the joints. During all this, the air would be full of
dust... the asbestos was just like flour."
— Navy Boilerman, mesothelioma.
"(He ) served in the Seabees and he always loved it; it was a part
of the Navy he always looked up to. After the Navy (he) worked for the
post office for thirty-three years. We were just about to retire and have
some fun when the doctors found out (he) had mesothelioma. We had so much
planned. (He) had always wanted to take me out west."
— Wife of Navy Seabee, mesothelioma.
"I was born in 1937. My father was a plasterer and painter. During
slow periods in the painting business, he would work as a longshoreman
in the shipyards where asbestos was used. Back then, no one knew about
the dangers of asbestos. Every day he would come home from work with asbestos
dust on his overalls and I would give him a big hug."
— Daughter secondarily exposed through her father=s work in the shipyards, mesothelioma.
"At dry dock, they'd gut all the asbestos insulation in the fire
room, then throw it into the bilges at the bottom of the ship. My job
was to crawl on my belly in the ship's forward fire room bilges and sweep
up the asbestos dust and debris. It was hot and poorly ventilated, so
breathing the asbestos dust was just part of the job."
— Navy Boiler Tender, mesothelioma.
"During wartime, I manned a 14-inch gun and worked in the powder
room. I remember my sleeping quarters ran directly under some insulated
piping. Every night before I crawled into my bunk, I had to wipe the asbestos
dust from my bunk that had vibrated off the insulated piping when the
ship's guns were fired."
—Navy Gunner, mesothelioma.
"I was a welder and pipe fitter in the Navy, working around asbestos
pipe lagging. We would make asbestos mud from loose asbestos that went
around the pipes, then we would wrap the pipes with asbestos cloth. When
we were welding, we would also put asbestos blankets around ourselves
to protect against the heat and sparks. Sometimes we would cool down the
pipes by putting them into barrels full of asbestos."
— Navy Shipfitter, lung cancer.
"I was an aircraft mechanic while serving my country at Travis Air
Force Base in California during the fifties where I put asbestos gaskets
into aircraft engines. Later, as a civilian, I continued as an aerospace
mechanic at Edwards Air Force Base testing rocket engines. Because of
the heat generated by the engines, we would protect the engine and the
test stand with asbestos blankets."
— Air Force Engine Mechanic, asbestosis.
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