A retired veteran recently filed a lawsuit alleging that Navy asbestos exposure caused him to develop lung cancer, and aims to hold manufacturers accountable.

Plaintiff Russell W. recently filed a lawsuit against more than 100 manufacturers and distributors including Westinghouse, Ford, General Electric and Honeywell. In his lawsuit, the retired veteran argues that his Navy asbestos exposure caused him to develop lung cancer.

Russell claims that his Navy asbestos exposure began in 1963 when he went to basic training in San Diego. After basic training, he served as a machinist mate on six ships over the course of eight years. He claims that his Navy asbestos exposure continued during this time as he worked with various asbestos containing products.

In December 2017, Russell was diagnosed with lung cancer, “an asbestos-induced disease,” and concluded that his Navy asbestos exposure caused him to develop the disease.

Asbestos is a natural mineral which can be pulled into fine, fluffy fibers. These fibers are naturally resistant to chemicals, fire, and heat, and have often been combined with other construction materials to imbue them with resistance.

However, asbestos fibers can be extremely dangerous when inhaled or swallowed, and the material’s use has since been banned in the United States. The body has difficulty expelling asbestos fibers from the lungs and when they are trapped in the body, they can cause chronic inflammation, increasing the chance of cellular mutation and the development of cancer.

Russell argues that the manufacturers knew or should have known that asbestos was a dangerous material which released harmful fibers. Additionally, Russell claims that, since the manufacturers knew about the dangerous nature of asbestos, it was foreseeable that he and other consumers would be exposed to their deadly fibers.

“The Defendants knew or should have known that the asbestos fibers emanating from the above-mentioned products was completely foreseeable and could or should have been anticipated by the Defendants,” the lawsuit claims.

According to the lawsuit, there was a variety of evidence supporting the dangerous nature of asbestos fibers, and the manufacturers allegedly concealed this evidence and portrayed asbestos as safe and non-harmful to consumers such as Russell.

“The Defendants knew or should have known that the asbestos fibers contained in their products had a toxic, poisonous, and highly deleterious effect upon the health of persons inhaling, ingesting, and otherwise absorbing them,” Russell argues in his Navy asbestos exposure.

Because his Navy asbestos exposure was foreseeable, Russell argues that the manufacturers should have provided safety recommendations to him and other consumers. The manfucturers allegedly had a duty to provide appropriate safety measures which may have protected him and other consumers from Navy asbestos exposure which cause him to develop lung cancer.

Russell accuses the manufacturers of negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, conspiracy, fraudulent misrepresentation, and battery. The Navy asbestos exposure lawsuit seeks actual and compensatory damages in excess of $50,000, court costsand attorneys’ fees.

The Navy Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-01391 in the Circuit Court for the Third Judicial Circuit, Madison County, Illinois.