Iraq & Afghanistan Asbestos Exposure: 4 Wartime Pathways to Mesothelioma Risk

Roughly 2.77 million U.S. service members deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and surrounding theaters between 2001 and 2021, and many faced asbestos exposure through four wartime pathways: burn pits that incinerated asbestos-containing materials, destroyed buildings made with Soviet-era and local asbestos-cement, forward operating bases built from unregulated local materials, and maintenance of older military vehicles. [1][8] Because mesothelioma takes decades to develop, the peak of asbestos-related disease from these conflicts is not expected until the 2035–2055 timeframe. [1] Veterans establish these claims through direct service connection — documenting their asbestos exposure in service — and the 2022 PACT Act has also expanded VA benefits for this generation. [4][5]

What are the key facts about Iraq and Afghanistan asbestos exposure?

• 2.77 million — U.S. service members who deployed to the region across 5.4 million deployments, 2001–2021. [8]
• 4 exposure pathways — burn pits, destroyed buildings, base construction, and vehicle maintenance. [1]
• Burn pits — asbestos was explicitly named on the list of materials prohibited from burn pits, confirming it was present in the waste burned. [1]
• Soviet-era construction — the Soviet Union was the world's largest asbestos producer, and Iraqi and Afghan buildings widely used chrysotile asbestos-cement roofing, panels, and pipe. [1]
• No bans during the wars — Iraq did not ban asbestos until 2016, and Afghanistan still has no ban. [1]
• Median 34-year latency — typical range of 20 to 60 years from exposure to mesothelioma diagnosis. [1][14]
• 2035–2055 — the period when mesothelioma cases from these conflicts are expected to peak. [1]
• PACT Act 2022 — Public Law 117-168 expanded VA benefits and made "respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type" presumptive for these veterans; mesothelioma is not explicitly named. [5]
• Direct service connection — the established VA path for an asbestos mesothelioma claim: documented exposure, service records, and a physician's nexus statement. [4]
• Elevated mortality — a large U.S. veteran cohort showed mesothelioma deaths 1.56× the expected rate, attributed to asbestos exposure and concentrated in naval shipboard trades. [12]
• 100+ trust funds — asbestos bankruptcy trusts holding billions of dollars that compensate veterans. [3]

How were troops in Iraq and Afghanistan exposed to asbestos?

Asbestos reached service members through four documented pathways, and asbestos — not any other wartime hazard — is the cause of mesothelioma at the end of each one. [1][14][15]

Burn pits. Open-air burn pits were the primary waste-disposal method at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, consuming construction debris, insulation, and building materials. Asbestos-containing materials were among the waste burned — in fact, asbestos appeared by name on the CENTCOM list of items prohibited from burn pits, which confirms it was present in the stream that was supposed to keep it out. [1] When asbestos products burn, fibers are carried in the smoke and ash that blanketed living and working areas.

Destroyed buildings. The Soviet Union was the world's largest asbestos producer, and Iraqi and Afghan construction relied heavily on chrysotile asbestos-cement roofing, panels, and pipe. [1] Combat and demolition — building-to-building fighting, airstrikes, explosive breaching — pulverized those materials and released fibers into the dust that troops moved through during clearance operations, often without respiratory protection rated for asbestos. [1] Damaging older asbestos-cement construction is a well-recognized way to release airborne asbestos, and the VA recognizes asbestos as a service-connectable exposure for veterans who can document contact with it during military service. [4]

Base construction. Hundreds of forward operating bases were built and expanded using locally sourced materials from countries with no asbestos bans. [1] Cement sheets, roofing, and pipe insulation could — and did — contain chrysotile asbestos with no labeling or disclosure. Naval Construction Battalions, the Seabees, who did much of this work, have historically carried among the highest asbestos exposure rates in the military. [1]

Vehicle maintenance. Older military vehicles used asbestos in brakes, clutches, and gaskets. The transition away from asbestos was gradual, not absolute — and as of 2024, the Army's own environmental guidance still warns that some brake shoes, pads, or clutch disks may contain asbestos-containing materials and requires special handling. [7] Mechanics servicing legacy platforms and aftermarket parts faced real exposure.

"I lost my father to mesothelioma, so I don't treat this as theory. The thread through every one of these pathways is the same fiber that took him. A veteran doesn't need to have worked a shipyard to be at risk — cutting through a bombed-out building in Fallujah was enough."

— Larry Gates, Senior Client Advocate, Danziger & De Llano

For a deeper reference on these exposure routes, our colleagues at WikiMesothelioma maintain a detailed page on Iraq and Afghanistan asbestos exposure. [1]

Why does mesothelioma from these wars take decades to appear?

Mesothelioma has one of the longest latency periods in medicine — a median of about 34 years, and a typical range of 20 to 60 years between first asbestos exposure and diagnosis. [1][14] A soldier exposed in 2004 may not be diagnosed until the 2030s or 2040s.

That timeline is why the disease burden from these conflicts is still ahead of us. The earliest cases may be surfacing now, but the peak is projected for roughly 2035 to 2055. [1] By VA estimates and national mesothelioma litigation data, roughly 1,000 U.S. veterans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, predominantly from earlier exposures — World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and shipyard work. [10] The Iraq and Afghanistan generation is expected to add a new wave on top of that baseline.

According to PubMed-indexed research, the regional picture supports the concern: a 2025 Global Burden of Disease analysis found mesothelioma cases across the Middle East and North Africa rose from 597 in 1990 to 1,365 in 2021, a cancer the authors describe as "primarily caused by asbestos exposure." [11] The latency means the consequences of wartime exposure are written years in advance — which is exactly why documentation should start now, not at diagnosis.

How do these veterans establish a mesothelioma claim with the VA?

The proven route is direct service connection. For an asbestos-related condition, the VA asks for three things: medical records confirming the diagnosis, service records showing a job or specialty that involved asbestos contact, and a doctor's statement linking the in-service exposure to the disease. [4] For mesothelioma — a cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos — that nexus opinion is usually well supported once the exposure history is documented.

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, Public Law 117-168, expanded this picture. It made "respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type" a presumptive condition for Gulf War era and post-9/11 veterans and broadened healthcare eligibility. [5][9] A presumptive condition is one the VA accepts as service-connected without the veteran having to prove causation. The VA's presumptive list does not name mesothelioma, however, and because mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial lining — pleural or peritoneal — rather than a breathing-related airway cancer, whether it qualifies under the respiratory-cancer presumption is unsettled. [5] Veterans can pursue that presumption, but should not treat it as automatic; the direct service-connection path remains the dependable one. [4]

Expanded PACT eligibility covers service on or after September 11, 2001 in Afghanistan and surrounding locations, and service on or after August 2, 1990 in Iraq, Kuwait, and the broader Gulf region, including support of operations such as Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, Inherent Resolve, and Resolute Support. [5] As of March 2024, the VA removed the original phased enrollment dates, so every eligible veteran can enroll now. [5]

"The honest answer is that documentation wins these claims. We build the exposure history — where a veteran served, the job they did, the asbestos they handled — and pair it with the medical record and a physician's opinion. That direct service-connection path is the one I trust, and we pursue the PACT Act presumption right alongside it."

— Larry Gates, Senior Client Advocate, Danziger & De Llano

Which service branches and jobs faced the highest risk?

Risk tracked closely with the work a service member did. According to PubMed-indexed research, a 65-year follow-up of a large U.S. veteran cohort found mesothelioma mortality significantly elevated overall — about 1.56 times the expected rate — with the excess concentrated among, and "explained by asbestos exposure" aboard, Navy ships; shipboard trades such as machinist's mates, boiler technicians, and pipefitters carried the highest risk. [12] The same body of research notes that mesothelioma appears to disproportionately affect military veterans as a group. [13] By some estimates, veterans account for roughly 30% of all U.S. mesothelioma cases — a reflection of the military's heavy historical use of asbestos — according to VA estimates and national mesothelioma litigation data. [10]

In the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, the highest-exposure roles included:

• Army — infantry and combat engineers clearing destroyed buildings, plus mechanics on older vehicle platforms. [8]
• Marines — urban combat in Fallujah and Helmand Province, where building destruction generated asbestos-laden dust. [1]
• Navy Seabees — construction battalions building and maintaining bases with locally sourced materials. [1]
• Air Force — personnel at major air bases such as Balad and Bagram, working around legacy infrastructure and the most heavily documented burn pits. [1]
• Coast Guard — port-security and patrol crews operating in older Iraqi port facilities. [1]

Whatever the branch, the common factor was contact with disturbed asbestos — and the PACT Act's presumption applies regardless of which job created the exposure.

What VA benefits and compensation are available?

Veterans with mesothelioma usually have more than one source of recovery, and pursuing one does not foreclose the others.

On the VA side, a service-connected mesothelioma diagnosis qualifies for monthly tax-free disability compensation, and because of the disease's severity it typically warrants a 100% disability rating. [6] Surviving spouses and dependents may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The 2026 VA disability compensation rates are published on the VA's rate tables. [6] The PACT Act also created a dedicated Toxic Exposures Fund to pay for this expansion of care and benefits. [5]

Separate from the VA system, more than 100 asbestos trust funds — established by bankrupt asbestos manufacturers and holding billions of dollars — compensate veterans for exposure to specific products, and personal-injury claims may be available against the companies that made them. [3] A veteran can pursue VA benefits, trust fund claims, and lawsuits at the same time. The veterans team at Danziger & De Llano helps service members and families pursue every avenue at once, and resources like the Mesothelioma Lawyer Center veterans guide explain how military exposure claims fit together.

How can veterans and families document exposure and file a claim?

Because exposure records fade over the decades before diagnosis, the most useful step a veteran or family can take is to preserve evidence early. [4] Key records include:

• Service records — the DD-214 and personnel files documenting deployments, bases, and job assignments. [8]
• Unit and deployment histories — tying a veteran to specific installations and operations. [8]
• Medical records — pathology confirming the mesothelioma diagnosis, plus imaging and treatment records. [14]
• Work documentation — anything showing construction, demolition, vehicle maintenance, or building-clearance duties. [1]

From there, the VA claim and the asbestos product claim run on parallel tracks. The VA path uses the PACT Act presumption; the product path requires identifying the specific asbestos materials and manufacturers behind the exposure — work an experienced attorney handles using product-identification databases built from decades of litigation. [3] Veterans can start with our guide to veterans benefits for mesothelioma, our directory of mesothelioma and asbestos lawyers, or a free case assessment. The veterans mesothelioma support reference is another starting point for families. [2]

"The clock that matters most isn't the filing deadline — it's the memory. The sooner we capture where a veteran served and what they did there, the stronger every claim becomes, VA and trust fund alike. Don't wait for the diagnosis to get worse to make the call."

— Larry Gates, Senior Client Advocate, Danziger & De Llano