Merchant Marines
Almost every nation has a merchant marine, a fleet of ships which are usually owned and registered in that nation and fly under its flag, but are separate from the military. The merchant marine carries goods and people, and is a vital part of the national economy. In addition, many countries use their merchant marine to supplement the military in times of war, with the merchant marine transporting goods and equipment to areas where it is needed. For this reason, the merchant marine is sometimes called the merchant navy, indicating the dual role of the merchant marine.
Merchant marines rely on an extensive ground network, which includes shipyards, truck and train systems, and ground staff who manage the company. When marine insurance companies, lawyers, research companies, and a variety of other industries related to the merchant marine are added, it represents a sizable portion of the economy, with ships being a crucial part of the transportation system.
Merchant marines are frequently exposed to asbestos because merchant mariners use a number of asbestos products. Merchant fleet ships, mariners often worked with asbestos-containing materials like fire bricks, values, gaskets, blocks, insulation and pipe-covering.
Most merchant mariners are at high risk of contracting diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis etc as material used to insulate military ship boilers and piping contains asbestos. Therefore, those who interact directly with the vessels' onboard machinery, piping, engines, boilers have a great chance for developing deadly asbestos-related diseases. When compared to the pilots, sailors and officers and mates who have more of a navigational role about the ship, the risk factor is more for the oilers and QMED's who lubricate the machinery and the engineers who install, maintain and run the engines, generators, boilers, pipes and pumps.
Since the maintenance occurs in narrow, unventilated quarters, almost all crew member are at the risk of exposure to the carcinogenic fibres of asbestos. Even secondhand exposure - that is, inhaling asbestos fibers off the clothes or hair of workers who have more close contact with the substance - can be dangerous. Experts think that mesothelioma must be considered an occupational disease for merchant mariners.
An article from the British Journal of Industrial Medicine entitled "Asbestotic radiological abnormalities among United States merchant marine seamen" had reported the details of pleural abnormalities in United States seamen. A total of 3324 chest radiographs (1985-1987) of long term United States seamen were reviewed and most had been at sea for more than 20 years. One third (34.8%) had parenchymal or pleural abnormalities, or both (ILO classification); pleural changes were predominant. Abnormalities increased with longer duration from onset of shipboard exposure (as defined by first year at sea). The prevalence of asbestotic changes was greater among seamen who had served in the engine department (391/420; 42.5%) compared with seamen in other departments, including deck (301/820; 36.6%), steward (278/981; 28.4%), or with service in multiple departments (167/541; 30.9%).
The conclusion of the article was that since many vessels, particularly those built before 1978, contain asbestos materials, appropriate engineering controls (including complete removal, if possible) are required as well as appropriate medical surveillance for those who served aboard such ships.