Comments on: Why People Working at the Navy and Shipyards Subject to Great Danger of Mesothelioma Cancer?

By: Hunter Adamson

Hunter Adamson — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:03:18 +0000

My Grandfather worked in Navy Yard @ Portsmouth Va. for 30 plus years during the period around WWII. He died of Lung Cancer, but the dangers in the shipyard were not known at the time. Please read a poem written by a co-worker:

The Machine Shop Man

This is the story about a man I know,

I work for him about a year ago.

He is a supervisor over shop machines,

And if production drops off, he gets mean.

He gives orders and lays it on the line,

Now I need that job out right on time.

Then the man will really snap to,

Because he knows what old Alex will do.

He received an order for a shaft with splines,

Two gears to match with teeth real fine.

The planners agreed he couldn’t meet the date:

Because the machine shop man had started too late.

But old Alex went over and said a word or two,

Then you couldn’t see the man for the chips that flew.

The job was completed and on its way,

They had planned for a week, but he was only a day.

Now you may think I’m not telling the truth,

But any of his men can give you proof.

When you need production, he gets it done,

That machine shop man: Alex Adamson.

By: Pat Evans

Thanks for reading,

Hunter Adamson

By: Linda McCoy

Linda McCoy — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:12:37 +0000

My husband was on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger for two years during the Vietnam war. He said it was all over the place. Three years ago he had to have a double lung transplant. Enough said. VA says, OH, no way. Waiting until he dies so they don’t have to give him squat. He has to drive on the freeways around here named after the men who paid the ultimate price in Iraq. They totally ignored the Vietnam vets. You wouldn’t want to know what he feels like.

By: wbrenner

wbrenner — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:16:53 +0000

This was true in WWII shipyards. I’m not aware friable Asbestos is still being used to manufacture recent Navy ships. Perhaps someone can enlighten us. Even the World Trade Center switched away from friable asbestos insulation of the steel beams to non-asbestos midway through its construction due to heightened concerns re mesotheliomas, but, as a result, some say, the steel failed and the buidings collapsed but would still be standing had asbestos been used throughout.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:15:05 +0000

My father died from this cancer at age 40 years old. He cut trees for many years, then moving on to work for the city driving a trash truck. It took the dr’s about a year or so to finally find out that he had mesmothelioma. They thought he just had a cold that kept coming back. He was just spitting stuff up, like people do sometimes when they are sick. He was so healthy and active. He took walks everyday worked out at the gym. Once the dr’s found out that he had a tumor on his lungs, he went through kemo treatments, that did not work. Then he ended up going to Michigan to have a specialist do surgery to have part of the tumor removed to see if maybe they could get it shrunk down enough to maybe get rid of the cancer with more kemo. He lived another 4 months after the surgery and died 5 days before Christmas. I was 20 years old. My dad left for other children as well. He did not deserve to die so young. I recently got married and he could’nt even be there to give me away. I miss him so much. Once you get this, there isn’t much chance of you living. It’s a terrible thing to have to go through