Utilitiesmen (UT) were the Navy Seabee rating responsible for plumbing, heating, refrigeration, and mechanical utility system installation and maintenance at naval facilities and forward bases worldwide. UT Seabees installed water distribution systems, waste systems, steam heating systems, and HVAC equipment at naval installations ranging from permanent shore bases to temporary expeditionary construction sites. Their work with pipe, pipe insulation, valves, and mechanical equipment regularly brought them into contact with asbestos-containing utility materials standard in Navy construction through the Cold War era.

Pipe Insulation and Thermal System Asbestos Exposure

Utilitiesmen installing and maintaining hot water, steam heating, and process piping systems at naval facilities worked directly with asbestos-containing pipe insulation materials:

  • Steam heating system pipe insulation — UT Seabees installing steam heating systems at naval bases used asbestos pipe insulation on hot steam distribution piping as the standard thermal insulation material through the 1970s. Installation required cutting, fitting, and applying asbestos sectional pipe covering to the steam lines
  • Hot water system insulation — domestic and process hot water distribution systems installed at naval facilities used asbestos pipe insulation on hot water lines through the Cold War era
  • Boiler installation work — UT Seabees installing boiler plant equipment at naval facilities worked with asbestos insulation on boiler casings and steam connections in the boiler rooms of the facilities being constructed
  • Valve and fitting installation — valve packing replacement on steam and hot water valves involved Garlock, Johns Manville, and other asbestos packing materials throughout the Cold War period

Building Mechanical System Renovation

UT Seabees renovating older naval facility mechanical systems encountered existing asbestos-containing insulation in renovation and repair work:

  • Removing old pipe insulation from existing steam or hot water systems being renovated released asbestos fiber from the aged and friable asbestos insulation on the existing pipe
  • Boiler room renovation at existing naval facilities involved work in spaces with existing asbestos insulation on boiler equipment

Forward Base Construction

Seabees constructing forward base facilities in Vietnam, the Philippines, Diego Garcia, and other deployed locations installed utility systems using the same asbestos-containing materials standard in Navy construction of the era — asbestos pipe insulation, asbestos board, and asbestos rope for high-temperature utility system construction in the deployed base environment.

VA Claims for UT Rating Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure for Navy Seabee veterans. Utilitiesmen who performed pipe insulation work, steam system installation, and boiler mechanical work using asbestos-containing utility materials and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.