Air Traffic Controlmen — AC rating — operated Navy tower, departure/approach, and radar approach control facilities at naval air stations worldwide and provided carrier-controlled approach (CCA) radar control services from aircraft carriers. Navy ACs were assigned to naval air stations including NAS Oceana, NAS Norfolk, NAS Jacksonville, NAS Lemoore, NAS Miramar, NAS Whidbey Island, and overseas NAS facilities, as well as to aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships providing carrier-controlled approach services. Air traffic control facilities at many naval air stations used WWII-era and postwar construction that incorporated asbestos-containing materials in the tower cab structures, approach control facility buildings, and radar equipment spaces where ACs spent their duty hours.

Control Tower Facility Asbestos

Navy ATC tower buildings incorporated asbestos throughout their construction:

  • Tower cab and stairwell construction — WWII-era and Cold War air traffic control towers at naval air stations used asbestos-containing floor tile, asbestos insulation board, and asbestos-containing construction materials in the tower cab and stairwell structures. Air Traffic Controlmen spending extended watch-standing time in these tower cabs accumulated asbestos exposure from the surrounding asbestos-containing tower construction, particularly in older facilities where floor tile and wall materials showed age-related deterioration
  • Tower mechanical and electrical spaces — the mechanical rooms and electrical equipment spaces in naval ATC tower buildings used military construction with asbestos-insulated pipe and electrical systems in the tower support infrastructure. ACs accessing tower mechanical spaces for equipment maintenance or during building repairs encountered asbestos-containing mechanical system insulation in these building infrastructure spaces

Approach Control and RAPCON Facility Asbestos

Shore-based approach control and RAPCON facilities housed ACs in asbestos-containing buildings:

  • RAPCON and approach control buildings — the radar approach control buildings at naval air stations, typically separate structures from the airport control tower, used WWII-era and Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the facility construction. Air Traffic Controlmen working watches in these approach control facilities spent extended time in the asbestos-containing building stock
  • Communications equipment rooms — the radio communications equipment rooms supporting naval ATC facilities used military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the communications facility building stock, with AC personnel accessing these equipment spaces during communications maintenance and equipment servicing

Aircraft Carrier CCA Operations and Asbestos

ACs assigned to aircraft carriers for carrier-controlled approach operations accumulated ship asbestos exposure:

  • Ship’s air operations spaces — Air Traffic Controlmen assigned to aircraft carriers for carrier-controlled approach duties worked in the carrier’s combat information center (CIC), air operations spaces, and radar rooms, which used asbestos-containing construction consistent with WWII Essex class and postwar carrier construction specifications. ACs serving extended carrier deployments accumulated asbestos exposure from the ship’s overall construction stock throughout their carrier billet assignments

VA Claims for AC Rating Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval air stations and aboard Navy ships. Air Traffic Controlmen who served at naval air stations with WWII-era or Cold War facility construction and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.