The Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, has protected American interests for decades, defending the Asia-Pacific region against foreign invaders as well as natural disasters. The largest Air Force installation in Alaska, Elmendorf AFB not only protects the Alaska home front via surveillance and tactical combat operations, but also supplies medical assistance to all other military forces in the Alaska area.

With so much riding on the base running efficiently, every crewman's efforts is indispensable, from the men who work on the fighter jets to those who keep electricity pumping to the entire community.

AFB Power Station Safety

It goes without saying that for years even the government had very little idea of how asbestos affected the health of servicemen who worked in shipyards or utility stations.

Even after a government agency like OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was established in 1971, it took quite some time for researchers to find the link between asbestos and mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to the mineral. Because the military powerhouse was built in the 1950s, the risks of asbestos exposure were not considered when deciding what materials to use in the facility.

Knowledge increased in time, but progress to make real changes was slow on the base. This is perhaps why EPA reports in 1992 stated that the heat and power plant boilers created a number of health risks, including asbestos exposure. This was due to the fact that many of the items found within the powerhouse, like generators, boilers and turbine combustion engines housed thermal control devices use asbestos as an insulator.

Elmendorf Powerhouse Machinery

Boilers and turbine combustion engines are usually the culprits behind the release of asbestos, especially if the machines are not kept up and insulation is exposed. The materials that heat and cool the units generally contain asbestos because of the product's ability to significantly control temperatures within the large machines. The insulators, in turn, keep mechanical components heat-free, reducing damage and lowering the chance of harm to workers. Unfortunately, these same materials have been known to cause health problems related to asbestos exposure.

Engineers have looked at numerous possibilities to reduce the need for asbestos-laden materials. One of these options is the experimental development of solar-powered gas turbines that harness the sun's energy.

Today military bases like Elmendorf employ safety measures to reduce incidences of asbestos exposure and keep employees safe from the potential threat of mesothelioma development.

Asbestos Risks

With its resistance to heat, flame and electrical current, the naturally occurring, fibrous mineral known as asbestos could commonly be found throughout many factories, mills, power plants and work sites in every state of the U.S., including Alaska and the Elmendorf AFB Powerhouse. While the use of asbestos was intended to reduce the risk of injury, it unfortunately often had the opposite effect. Exposure to asbestos at the workplace has resulted in the development of serious illnesses for thousands of people.

The disorders associated with asbestos exposure include pleural plaques, mesothelioma and lung cancer. The greatest chance of contracting these conditions occurs when asbestos-containing products become friable, releasing strands into the air where they may be inhaled or ingested into the body, causing cellular damage.

Because science has uncovered the relationship between being exposed to asbestos and diseases like mesothelioma, present-day employees are protected by government regulations that control how asbestos is used. Even as late as the 1970s, however, laborers without proper safety gear commonly toiled in places thick with asbestos dust. Family members were also subjected to asbestos exposure when companies didn't offer workplace-only uniforms, as workers carried asbestos home with them on their skin or in their hair.

Those who worked at Elmendorf AFB Powerhouse at any time in the past, as well as those who lived with them, are advised to learn more about these health conditions and tell their healthcare professionals about their history of asbestos contact, because the signs of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma are often difficult to distinguish from those of other conditions. To learn more about the diagnostic process, available treatment options and financial assistance to help pay for medical costs, please click here to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

Sources:

Air Force Link (unspecified date). Elmendorf Air Force Base Website. April 18, 2009, retrieved from http://www.elmendorf.af.mil
DTIC Website (unspecified date). Defense technical Information center. Retrieved April 18, 2009, from http://www.afakesite.com/wvtownstory.htm http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA260044
Alaska's Digital Archives Website (unspecified date) Alaska Digital Archives. Elmendorf Air Force Base Power Plant. Retrieved April 18, 2009, http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/cdmg13&CISOBOX1=Elmendorf+Air+Force+Base++Alaska>+

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