The Ministry of Defence has recently admitted that more than 2,000 pieces of British Military Equipment may contain asbestos. The list of equipment affected includes, but is not limited to: Bulldog armoured personnel carriers, Challenger 2 Tanks, Warrior vehicles, Gazelle reconnaissance helicopters, Wildcat helicopters, FUCHS, Stormer armoured vehicles along with ships and submarines.

Earlier this year General Sir Patrick Sanders, Head of the Army revealed a £35 billion investment in new kit over the next decade. He said “many of the Army’s platforms were outdated and not fit for purpose” he added “I trained on the 432 armoured personnel carrier in the 1980’s, when it was already 30 years old, it is still in service today”. 

It is hardly surprising asbestos is present in military vehicles and equipment, when the UK are still using military vehicles that date back to the1950’s.

What is asbestos and what damage can it do to my health?

Asbestos is a natural fibrous material, which over the decades has been imported into the UK. It was famed for its resistance to heat and fire, and was a widely used material within buildings, homes and machinery until it was banned in 1999. In vehicles asbestos was also widely used in brakes, clutches and gaskets. Due to its heat resistant properties it’s not hard to see why asbestos containing materials (ACMs) have been used in the past to build many military vehicles and equipment.

Asbestos and ACMs become dangerous to health when they are disturbed or are damaged over time and breakdown into tiny fibers, which can’t be seen but are easily breathed in. The asbestos fibers become trapped in the lungs and remain there for long periods of time. Over time and in many cases years later the fibers can cause scarring and inflammation of the lungs.

In the UK there are currently over 5,000 asbestos related deaths per year.

There are two types of asbestos related diseases that are cancerous:

• Mesothelioma, (pleural and peritoneal) is a terminal cancer that is only caused by asbestos exposure. Sadly, in most cases, symptoms develop gradually over time and typically do not appear until several decades after exposure, so it is only often diagnosed at an advanced stage. There is no cure for mesothelioma, although treatment can help control symptoms.
• Asbestos related lung cancer, small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer can originate from exposure to asbestos.

Although, researchers have also confirmed links between asbestos exposure and other cancers such as ovarian, laryngeal, bile duct, gallbladder and kidney.

There are other asbestos related conditions, which do not cause cancer, some of which include:

• Asbestosis, which is pulmonary fibrosis caused by asbestos.
• Pleural thickening, which is fibrosis of the pleura and can cause widespread lung scarring. Where there is evidence of asbestos exposure, it is reasonable to believe that asbestos is the cause of the pleural thickening as there can be many causes.
• Pleural plaques, exposure to asbestos can cause benign scar tissue that appears on the lungs outer lining. Currently, pleural plaques is only compensable in Scotland and not in England and Wales.

Ticking Time Bomb?

The promise of £35 billion investment in new kit over the next decade, is clearly something the Army is in dire need of. In the meantime, military personnel are still utilising outdated equipment and vehicles, which will no doubt deteriorate with use and age over the next decade, and if not maintained correctly could potentially be hazardous to their health.

The MOD say, “that they remain committed to reducing the use of ACM across defence equipment, but some ACM components need to remain in use on specific platforms to maintain operational capability”. They have a duty under The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 to:

• Manage equipment containing ACMs,
• Carry out sufficient assessment of that equipment,
• Carry out suitable assessment of the risk of exposure to the health of its employees,
• Provide instruction and training where the employee is liable to be exposed to asbestos,
• Prevent or reduce the exposure to asbestos as far as is reasonably practicable and;
• Ensure that equipment containing ACMs is maintained and in good working order.

Statistics from TheyWorkForYou open data from the UK Parliament show that there are currently 8 veterans per month claiming a war pension due to mesothelioma, meaning there could be 960 new armed forces personnel diagnosed with mesothelioma in the next 10 years. That’s notwithstanding other asbestos related illnesses.

Given that the latency period between exposure and start of symptoms for mesothelioma and asbestos related lung cancers is normally around 20 to 30 years, only time will tell. 

This blog was co-authored by Liz Broadbent and Clare Stevens.