Boiler Insulation & Asbestos

A Wisconsin Navy veteran contacted me several years ago.  This Naval veteran had served on the USS Tattnall as a boiler technician.   He was suffering with mesothelioma that was caused by years of asbestos exposure while serving in our U.S. Navy.  This exposure to asbestos fibers took place while he worked in the boilerrooms surrounded by asbestos covered pipes on the U.S. Tattnall.  He had been diagnosed by asbestos doctors at the Veteran’s Administration.  Sadly, he passed away as a result of the mesothelioma.

Boiler insulation is a very common culprit in asbestos mesothelioma cases, including those involving U.S. Naval Veterans who worked on ships.  The removal of this thermal insulation from boilers, pipes, tanks and ducts, which was common in all boilerrooms, caused the asbestos fibers to be released into the air.  When repairs or maintenance was required, whether in ships or industrial applications, the insulation was a friable form of asbestos that could easily emit fibers easily into the air.  Similarly, fibrous fluffy sprayed-on asbestos products used for fireproofing, insulation, or sound proofing were quite friable and could readily release airborne asbestos fibers.  The potential for asbestos products to release breathable fibers was extremely hazardous to all those working in industrial occupations, especially with respect to boiler insulation.

We were able to successfully help this man’s family as we have many Navy veterans and veterans who served in other branches of the U.S. armed forces.  We have also helped numerous boilermakers, plumbers and others exposed to asbestos in similar occupations.  To date, we have helped the families of these mesothelioma victims living in Milwaukee, and other areas of Wisconsin, to recover more than $25,000,000.00.  That we know of, no other local asbestos law firm has had this type of success.  In fact, even so-called “national firms” have had limited success in Wisconsin.