Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, located near Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, Washington, served as the Pacific Fleet’s primary strike and electronic warfare aviation base, home to Medium Attack (VA) and Electronic Attack (VAQ) squadrons flying A-6 Intruder, EA-6B Prowler, and later EA-18G Growler aircraft. The station also hosted patrol aircraft squadrons (VP) operating P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from its long runways on the island’s north end. Military personnel and civilian employees at NAS Whidbey Island were exposed to asbestos in aircraft components, older station building infrastructure, and maintenance facility systems throughout the Cold War period.

Aircraft Component Asbestos at Whidbey Island

Aviation maintenance personnel at NAS Whidbey Island performed organizational and intermediate-level maintenance on Navy tactical aircraft with asbestos-containing components:

  • Aircraft brake assemblies on A-6 Intruder, EA-6B Prowler, and P-3 Orion aircraft used asbestos friction material in brake puck and lining assemblies serviced during landing gear maintenance by Aviation Structural Mechanics (AM/AME) — releasing asbestos dust during brake removal and replacement
  • Engine gaskets and high-temperature components in the Pratt & Whitney J52 engines (A-6/EA-6B) and Allison T56 engines (P-3) used asbestos-containing gaskets on high-temperature engine sections serviced by Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD) during periodic engine inspections
  • Aircraft firewall and heat shield materials in A-6 and EA-6B engine nacelles and wing-fold areas incorporated asbestos cloth and board in firewall construction, disturbed during engine change and major airframe maintenance operations

Older Station Building Infrastructure

NAS Whidbey Island includes hangar facilities, maintenance shops, and station buildings constructed during and after World War II with asbestos-containing materials in the building systems:

  • Steam heating distribution on the station’s older building complex used asbestos-insulated pipe in the base heating plant and distribution systems serving hangars and maintenance facilities
  • Older hangar construction — hangars built in the 1940s and 1950s used asbestos-containing overhead fireproofing on structural steel, disturbed during hangar renovation and maintenance
  • Building renovation projects at the station over the Cold War period involved disturbance of asbestos-containing materials in building floors, ceilings, and mechanical systems

Aviation Rating Exposure at Whidbey Island

Aviation ratings with the heaviest asbestos exposure at NAS Whidbey Island were:

  • Aviation Structural Mechanics (AM) performing brake and landing gear maintenance
  • Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD) performing engine maintenance and power plant work
  • Aviation Electronics Technicians (AT) aboard EA-6B Prowlers working in the aircraft’s electronic warfare system bays adjacent to firewall structures

VA Claims for Whidbey Island Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval air stations. Veterans who served at NAS Whidbey Island in qualifying ratings before the early 1980s asbestos phase-down in aircraft components and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.