Asbestos exposure at Pearl Harbor has left many World War II veterans in danger of diseases, such as the rare mesothelioma cancer.

Seventy-five years ago, a surprise military hit on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese killed 2, 403 Americans and wounded 1,178 others. Our nation officially entered World War II.

In addition to those killed and injured that day, more than 10,000 veterans were exposed to high levels of airborne asbestos exposure at Pearl Harbor when the shipyards were bombed.

Asbestos exposure can take from 20 to 50 years for symptoms to start appearing. It takes that long for the tiny fibers to do damage to the lungs, the heart, the abdomen or the testicles.

Asbestos materials can release tiny fibers into the air. When the microscopic fibers are inhaled, they become embedded inside the body.

It takes from 20 to 50 years to develop into recognizable damage, but the trapped fibers can cause inflammation in the meantime, leading to scarring and genetic changes that sometimes lead to cancer.

Asbestos exposure at Pearl Harbor was not the only time our veterans were around the carcinogenic substance. Naval ships contained asbestos as a fireproofing material from the 1930s through the 1970s.

Nearly 10,000 veterans die each year from asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs states that nearly 700,000 World War II veterans survive today.

Fewer than 33 percent of people who are 75 years of age or older who are diagnosed with mesothelioma live more than a year.

Was Asbestos Exposure at Pearl Harbor or Elsewhere?

Former U.S. Army Capt. Aaron Munz is director of the Veterans Department at The Mesothelioma Center.

He said it can be difficult to determine if asbestos exposure at Pearl Harbor caused mesothelioma or if it happened elsewhere.

A minimum of half the people exposed to asbestos while serving in the military went on to work around asbestos in one way or another after leaving the service.

Munz said that the Veterans Department at The Mesothelioma Center can help determine the cause of many asbestos-related problems. He said that someone who works on a roof and breathes in asbestos dust from shingles is not the same as a person who has worked on a ship.

“We try to determine the intensity of the exposure,” said Munz. “Someone on a Navy ship exposed 24 hours a day and seven days a week during a tour is different than working a factory or a construction site and then going home and breathing in clean air at night.”

While those who have served in all branches of the military were likely exposed to asbestos, those who worked on ships before 1980 are at a higher risk.

Concerns about asbestos exposure at Pearl Harbor or during any other military service is not at the top of the list of concerns for most military members.

“Most are focused on the combat mission at hand,” Munz said. “That’s the primary focus, not the long-term health effects of chemicals or materials they may be exposed to.”

If you served in the military and are suffering from asbestos-related diseases, you could benefit from speaking with an attorney about your rights to compensation.