Belden Manufacturing Company, headquartered in Richmond, Indiana, was a major manufacturer of electrical wire and cable products including asbestos-insulated wire for high-temperature and fire-resistant applications. Belden’s asbestos-jacketed wire products were used in US Navy ship wiring where heat resistance beyond the capability of rubber insulation was required — including wiring serving galley equipment, engineering plant equipment, and machinery space electrical circuits where proximity to heat-generating equipment required fire-resistant wire insulation. Belden asbestos wire appeared in Navy ship wiring specifications from the WWII period through the phase-down of asbestos wire specifications in the 1970s.

Asbestos in Belden Wire Products

Belden manufactured multiple asbestos-insulated wire product lines for Navy applications:

  • Asbestos-jacketed appliance wire — Belden asbestos-jacketed wire with asbestos-fiber outer jacket over rubber insulation was used in Navy galley equipment, laundry equipment, and other high-temperature appliance wiring applications aboard surface ships. Electrician’s Mates wiring and rewiring galley and laundry equipment cut and stripped Belden asbestos-jacketed wire, releasing asbestos fibers from the jacket during wire preparation
  • Asbestos tape-wound wire — some Belden wire configurations used asbestos tape as the primary wire insulation wound around the conductor. Cutting and stripping this wire released asbestos fibers from the tape insulation at each termination point
  • High-temperature asbestos braid wire — Belden high-temperature wire with asbestos fiber braid over thermoplastic insulation was used in machinery space and motor terminal board wiring in Navy engineering plants where proximity to hot surfaces required fire-resistant outer jacket

Belden asbestos wire appeared in multiple Navy ship electrical applications:

  • Engineering plant motor leads — the terminal board connections and motor lead wiring for electric motors in Navy engineering spaces used asbestos-insulated wire for the high-temperature sections at the motor terminal board, where heat from the motor required fire-resistant insulation
  • Galley and laundry equipment wiring — all Navy galley cooking equipment, steam-heated equipment, and laundry machinery used high-temperature wire for internal wiring, with asbestos jacket wire standard in these applications throughout the WWII and Cold War era
  • Boiler control and instrumentation wiring — temperature measurement leads and control wiring in Navy boiler rooms and engineering spaces used asbestos wire in high-temperature proximity applications

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Belden Manufacturing Products

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Electrician’s Mates and other ratings who cut, spliced, or installed Belden asbestos-insulated wire in Navy electrical applications and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.