A retired Navy machinist filed an asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit over allegations that negligence caused him to suffer the disease because he wasn’t protected from the material’s dangers.

The asbestos exposure lawsuit filed by plaintiffs Ernest G. Staples and his wife said Staples enlisted in the Navy as a young man in 1957, and worked as a machinist mate for 30 years. His career took him to a number of Navy facilities, including shipyards and submarines. His work often exposed him to equipment that contained asbestos components, according to the asbestos lawsuit.

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral. During the Industrial Revolution it came into widespread use due to its useful properties. Asbestos is a very effective insulator, and is fireproof. It is made of an inorganic material called silica, which has a very high melting point, contributing to these properties. Unfortunately, asbestos is comprised of microscopic fibers, small enough to damage DNA itself. On top of this, asbestos is comprised of silica, an inorganic material. The human body has no means of dissolving or expelling silica fibers, and they can remain in place for decades, contributing to a range of serious health problems.

Despite its usefulness, asbestos has been essentially banned throughout the world. These various bans and restrictions stem from the fact that the material is strongly linked to terminal diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. The last of these, mesothelioma, is a particularly deadly form of cancer. The majority of patients die within the first year after diagnosis. Though sometimes mistakenly called a lung cancer, mesothelioma is actually a cancer of the lining of the rib cage. One of the prime groups for this cancer is shipyard workers, as asbestos had been widely used in the construction of ships. The material made an ideal insulator and fireproofing material for warships.

After Staples was diagnosed with mesothelioma, the asbestos lawsuit was filed against the manufacturers of the various asbestos-bearing materials and equipment that Staples came into contact with during his military career. Asbestos is so strongly linked to certain diseases, like mesothelioma, that asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits are common. In some cases, asbestos lawsuits take the form of asbestos class action lawsuits, lawsuits in which a group of plaintiffs file a lawsuit against the same defendant, alleging they have suffered similar harm from them.

The Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawsuit is Ernest G. Staples, et al., v. A.W. Chesterton Company, et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-05432-KLS, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Tacoma.