Navy Utilitiesmen (UT) — the Seabee rating responsible for the installation and maintenance of plumbing systems, heating systems, and HVAC systems in military construction projects worldwide — served in Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs) and Naval Construction Force detachments throughout the WWII and Cold War eras. UT ratings installed domestic water, sanitary sewer, steam heating, hot water heating, and HVAC systems in military buildings constructed at advance bases, NATO facilities, and stateside military installations. Utilitiesmen installing steam heating and hot water systems in military buildings — applying pipe insulation to steam and hot water distribution lines, cutting pipe covering to length, and fitting pipe covering sections around pipe fittings and valves — handled asbestos-containing pipe covering material directly throughout the pipe insulation installation process, as asbestos pipe covering was the standard thermal insulation for steam and hot water piping in military construction through the mid-1970s.

Pipe Insulation Installation Asbestos

UT ratings installing pipe insulation in military construction encountered concentrated asbestos:

  • Asbestos pipe covering application — Utilitiesmen installing steam and hot water pipe systems in military buildings applied asbestos-containing pipe covering insulation to the installed pipe runs as the standard insulation procedure for steam and hot water distribution systems through the mid-1970s. The pipe covering application process involved cutting asbestos pipe covering sections to length, splitting the curved pipe covering sections and fitting them around the pipe, securing the sections with asbestos-containing finishing tape, and troweling asbestos-containing finishing cement at the pipe covering joints — each step of the process involving direct handling of asbestos-containing pipe insulation materials
  • Pipe covering at fittings and valves — applying pipe covering insulation at pipe fittings, valves, and pipe bends required cutting the asbestos covering material to fit the irregular shapes of fittings and elbows, with cutting and fitting the asbestos covering material at each fitting and valve releasing asbestos fiber from the cut covering material. Utilitiesmen covering the numerous fittings, valves, and elbows in military building heating system pipe runs performed repeated asbestos pipe covering cutting and fitting operations throughout each pipe installation project
  • Asbestos gasket materials in pipe flanges — the flanged pipe connections in military building steam and hot water systems incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at the flange faces. UT ratings assembling flanged pipe connections installed asbestos-containing compressed sheet gasket material cut to fit each flange configuration, handling the asbestos gasket material during flange assembly throughout the pipe system installation

Military Construction Building Asbestos Environment

UT ratings working in military buildings under construction encountered asbestos building materials:

  • Concurrent asbestos building material installation — military construction projects during the WWII and Cold War era installed asbestos-containing building materials — floor tile, ceiling tile, drywall compound, and roofing products — concurrently with the plumbing and HVAC system installations performed by Utilitiesmen. UT ratings working in buildings under active construction were present during the installation of asbestos-containing building materials by other construction trades, accumulating bystander exposure from the asbestos-containing building materials throughout the construction period
  • Advance base construction environments — Seabee Utilitiesmen who built advance bases in the Pacific during WWII and in Vietnam and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War era installed plumbing and heating systems in advance base construction using available materials, working in construction environments where asbestos-containing pipe insulation and building materials were present in the military construction supply chain

VA Claims for Seabee Utilitiesmen

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy Seabee construction operations. Utilitiesmen who installed asbestos-containing pipe insulation, gasket materials, and plumbing systems in military construction projects and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.