Builders — BUs — in the Naval Construction Force (Seabees) were the Navy’s military construction carpenters, masons, and building tradesmen, responsible for constructing military facilities — barracks, warehouses, administrative buildings, airfield support structures, and expeditionary shelters — at Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) construction projects worldwide. BU Seabees deployed with NMCBs to construct military facilities in support of US operations — from WWII Pacific Island base construction through Vietnam War construction support and Cold War NATO base projects. BU Seabees working in military construction before the late 1970s were in direct hands-on contact with asbestos-containing building materials throughout their construction work.

Direct Contact with Asbestos Building Materials

BU Seabees working in military construction encountered asbestos in multiple building material categories:

  • Asbestos-containing floor tile installation — vinyl-asbestos floor tile was a standard flooring material in military construction throughout the 1940s-1970s. BU Seabees installing floor tile in barracks, administrative buildings, and support facilities cut floor tile to fit with scoring tools and tile cutters — operations that fractured the asbestos-containing tile and released asbestos fiber. The adhesive mastic used to bond asbestos tile to the floor was itself asbestos-containing in some formulations
  • Asbestos ceiling tile installation — acoustical ceiling tile with asbestos content was a standard ceiling finish material in military building construction of the 1950s-1970s. BU Seabees cutting and fitting ceiling tile in military facility construction used tile saws and scoring tools that generated asbestos-containing dust from the cut tile edges
  • Asbestos joint compound application — drywall construction using asbestos-containing joint compound was the standard interior finishing system for military building construction. BU Seabees applying and sanding joint compound in the construction of military facilities were in direct contact with asbestos joint compound throughout the finishing cycle — with compound sanding generating fine asbestos-containing dust in the construction space
  • Asbestos insulation board installation — asbestos cement board (Transite) and asbestos insulation board used as sheathing, subflooring, and utility panel material in military construction was cut, drilled, and shaped by BU Seabees during construction — releasing asbestos fiber in the cutting and drilling operations

Renovation of Older Military Facilities

BU Seabees performing maintenance and renovation of existing military facilities — particularly older WWII-era and postwar military construction — disturbed asbestos-containing materials in the existing building construction:

  • Floor tile removal during renovation releases asbestos fiber from the fractured tile and adhesive. BU Seabees removing old floor tile in renovation of WWII-era facilities were in direct contact with asbestos during tile removal
  • Wall and ceiling demolition in renovation of older military buildings disturbed asbestos-containing materials in the building’s original construction

VA Claims for BU Seabee Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from construction operations in Navy service. Builder Seabees who performed building construction or renovation involving asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling tile, joint compound, and insulation materials and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.