Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr. and Mesothelioma

Admiral Zumwalt was the youngest American naval officer in U.S military history when he took the post of Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in 1970 at the age of 49. He played a major role with his personal efforts to transform the Navy from an aristocratic institution to an egalitarian organization. He reformed U.S. Navy personnel policies in order to ease racial tension and improve better lifestyle.

Heed to mesothelioma

During the tenure of Admiral Zumwalt’s as CNO, there was a dramatic increase in asbestos based deaths of shipyard workers. Moreover many weak and were forced to take early retirement. According to the research study conducted by Sinai school of Medicine in New York,

• Death related to asbestos increased by 47%, that is nearly 1,650 to 2,420 per year in U.S.
• In the 1970’s around 20,000 tradesmen died due to asbestos exposure.

Struck with mesothelioma

Zumwalt served many aircraft carrier war vessels that had asbestos insulation during his tenure on many different occasions. He was also camping at the Pentagon during the renovation work which may have stripped up more asbestos exposure. These asbestos exposures ultimately lead him contracting mesothelioma.

Admiral Zumwalt was a staunch advocate who crusaded for new measures to protect the environmental safety of naval staffs and was the key person who campaigned for immediate ban the use of environmentally unfriendly chemical agents within the Navy. His son’s untimely death due to cancer at the age of 42 brought an ironic twist in his life. During the Vietnam War, his son commanded a river boat to spread Agent Orange to defoliate vegetation. It is learned that his son’s cancer was due to Agent Orange exposure.

Battling with mesothelioma

Admiral Zumwalt had witnessed a virtual epidemic of mesothelioma and other diseases related to asbestos happening among his staffs during his tenure as CNO. He was even taking best possible steps in order to protect Navy staffs from any future environmental hazards.

Zumwalt was diagnosed with mesothelioma almost 30 years after serving in the position of CNO at the age of 78. He unexpectedly experienced a shortness of breath which was unusual for him while participating in a 5 kilometer run. The diagnosis of mesothelioma was confirmed two months later when his chest x-ray showed a large tumor in the lung. Admiral Zumwalt died of critical complications related to mesothelioma within 6 months of visiting the doctor for treatment at the age of 79.

Please contact mesothelioma experts for more information.