Medusa

Are We Showing Thanks To Our Veterans?

Are We Showing Thanks To Our Veterans?

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Brave Navy war veterans&comma; from World War II&comma; Vietnam&comma; and Korea&comma; risked their lives while protecting our country&comma; all the while not knowing that they were unprotected from the dangers of asbestos lurking in the small spaces of their navy vessel&period;  Today&comma; the few lone survivors from WWII and numerous Korea and Vietnam vets are suffering from lung diseases due to their Navy asbestos exposure&period;  Mesothelioma&comma; the deadly&comma; asbestos-related lung disease&comma; is claiming and has claimed the lives of many veterans&period;  After risking their lives to protect our country&comma; we&comma; as a country&comma; did little to protect them against asbestos exposure&period;   Men and women who fought and served on toxic&comma; naval vessels deserve a great deal of thanks and maybe we can show our gratitude by offering adequate care and compensation to veterans&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"> <img class&equals;"aligncenter size-Correct-Size wp-image-9483" alt&equals;"Are We Showing Thanks To Our Veterans&quest;" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;medusamagazine&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2013&sol;11&sol;2012-08-20-8995-41182-640x480&period;jpg" width&equals;"640" height&equals;"480" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Asbestos on Navy Ships<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">According to the National Cancer Institute&comma; asbestos was initially mined in the U&period;S&period; during the late 1800s&period;  During World War II&comma; the use of asbestos in building products was at an all-time high&comma; particularly in the construction of and on navy ships&period;  Asbestos was used to insulate boilers&comma; steam pipes&comma; and hot water pipes due to its high-tensile strength and resistance towards heat and acid&period;  During this time&comma; Navy seamen were working and living in close quarters with asbestos in the atmosphere&period;  While asbestos&comma; naturally&comma; is not dangerous&comma; it can become toxic when broken down&comma; manipulated&comma; or when it starts to deteriorate as the loosened particles can enter the air and be unknowingly inhaled&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">After prolonged and frequent exposure&comma; individuals are at high risk for lung diseases such a mesothelioma&period;  Because it was not well-known that asbestos could be dangerous until the late 1970’s&comma; navy seamen or shipyard workers were not equipped or outfitted with proper protective gear&comma; as none existed yet&period;  Today&comma; in shipyards across America&comma; vessels filled with materials containing asbestos are still in use&comma; but seamen are given proper protective gear and training when encountering and working in spaces that still have asbestos&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Seeking Justice for Unknown Asbestos Exposure<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Navy veterans&comma; who suffer from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases&comma; are having a hard time seeking the hard earned compensation they deserve&period;  In states like Wisconsin&comma; a proposal is traveling through the State Legislature to delay and deny justice to navy veterans and other victims who have been exposed to asbestos&period;  Assembly Bill 19 and Senate Bill 13 would protect certain corporations from liability and additionally limit the rights of asbestos victims&period;  Even after Navy service men and women returned from life at  sea&comma; many continued a dangerous and unknown exposure to asbestos in civilian jobs such as shipyard employees and factory workers&period;  Wisconsin Senator&comma; Jennifer Shilling&comma; who opposes the proposal&comma; points out that 30&percnt; of all known mesothelioma deaths in the U&period;S&period; took the lives of veterans&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">While there is no cure for mesothelioma&comma; Navy veterans suffering from the fatal disease deserve compensation in order to improve their quality of health care and overall quality of life during the last years of their life&period;  Compensating a Veteran in need is a way of saying thanks and showing respect&period;  Given all that they did for our country&comma; putting their lives on the line&comma; offering compensation for a disease that should have been prevented is the least we can do as a country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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