American Biltrite, headquartered in Chelsea, Massachusetts, was a manufacturer of vinyl-asbestos tile, resilient flooring products, and industrial rubber goods. American Biltrite’s asbestos-containing floor tile products were widely used in both commercial and military construction — including the interior spaces of US Navy surface ships and submarines where asbestos-containing deck tile was the standard flooring material throughout crew habitability spaces, mess decks, administrative spaces, and passageways in WWII and Cold War era naval construction.

Asbestos Deck Tile in Navy Ships

American Biltrite and other manufacturers supplied asbestos-containing floor tile that was installed throughout Navy ship interiors:

  • Crew berthing deck tile — the deck tile covering the floors of crew sleeping quarters, locker areas, and berthing compartments throughout Navy surface ships was asbestos-containing vinyl-asbestos tile in WWII and Cold War era vessel construction. Crew members living in these berthing compartments were in continuous contact with the asbestos-containing deck tile surface during their service aboard
  • Mess deck and galley flooring — the mess decks and galley areas where sailors ate their meals and galleys where Mess Management Specialists prepared food used asbestos-containing deck tile on the mess deck floors, with the tile maintained and periodically stripped, waxed, and buffed by ship’s company personnel
  • Passageway deck tile — asbestos-containing tile in the passageways running throughout the ship’s interior was subject to heavy foot traffic and periodic replacement as the high-traffic tile wore through the surface layer
  • Administrative and office spaces — asbestos deck tile in the ship’s administrative spaces, personnel office, and officers’ country throughout the ship

Tile Installation, Maintenance, and Disturbance

The installation and maintenance of asbestos-containing deck tile created significant asbestos fiber exposure:

  • Tile removal — removing old or damaged asbestos tile required chiseling, heating, or scraping the tile from the deck — operations that fractured the asbestos tile and released asbestos fiber. Ship’s company personnel assigned to deck tile replacement work (or shipyard workers performing tile replacement during maintenance availabilities) were exposed to asbestos fiber during tile removal
  • Asbestos tile mastic adhesive — the adhesive used to bond asbestos tile to the deck surface was itself asbestos-containing in some formulations, with mastic disturbance during tile removal releasing additional asbestos fiber
  • Floor stripping and buffing — routine floor maintenance using rotary floor machines for stripping and buffing waxed tile surfaces created fine dust from the tile surface, with asbestos fiber potentially released in the floor maintenance dust

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from flooring materials in Navy ships. All Navy ratings who served aboard surface ships with asbestos-containing deck tile in crew habitability spaces were in daily contact with asbestos-containing flooring materials. Personnel who performed tile maintenance or replacement and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.