Like many other U.S. Air Force bases, Chanute Air Force Base in Champaign County, Illinois was contaminated with asbestos throughout its operation. The carcinogenic material was used in base infrastructure and buildings and used in aircraft parts including brakes, electrical insulation, and engine shields. As a result, Air Force veterans and others who were present on the site have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. The contamination was so pervasive at Chanute that years after military operations there had been discontinued, the Air Force was required to pay for asbestos abatement to clear tons of the carcinogen that had been left behind.[1]
The History of Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base’s history dates back to 1917 when the U.S. Congress approved an expenditure of $640 million to fortify America’s Air Service. The immediate result was the establishment of both ground schools and flying fields to train pilots, and among those chosen was a level site in Rantoul, Illinois that was close to the Illinois Central Railroad and the University of Illinois. Dubbed Chanute Field in honor of a pioneering aeronautical engineer and friend of the Wright Brothers, the original site was built in just 60 days and the first airplanes arrived on July 4th of the same year, with flight training school beginning on July 17th. Multiple training units were assigned there during World War I. [2]
When the war ended and military activities were reduced, Congress purchased Chanute. The Air Service Mechanics School and the Air Corps Training School were both transferred to the site in 1921, and in 1922 the photography school and communications school were also relocated to Chanute. That year, nine steel hangars were built on the original 1917 airfield, and converted into classrooms. From 1922 to 1938, Chanute Field trained all pilots for the U.S. Army Air Corps, and many new buildings were constructed to replace the site’s original wooden buildings.[2]
In the years before World War II, four more hangars were built, as well as a new headquarters building, hospital, warehouses, barracks, family housing, a gymnasium, officers’ quarters, a fire station, and a 300,000-gallon water tower, as well as all new concrete runways. The Department of Basic Instruction, which taught officers and enlisted personnel the basics of mechanics, communications, photography, and armament, was also established at the base. Chanute was also the site where the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation’s first all-black fighter squadron, was activated.[2]
With America’s entry into World War II after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Chanute continued to operate as a technical training location, but also was used to house new recruits. It also served as the site of the Women’s Army Corps School, which was established in 1944 along with helicopter mechanic training, which remained at Chanute until 1945.[2]
It was only after World War II ended that the United States established the U.S. Air Force and Chanute Field became Chanute Air Force Base. Improved technologies saw jet engines introduced to U.S. capabilities, and along with that came a new technical curriculum that needed to be caught. By 1949, Chanute became the center of an international field training program, and when the U.S. entered the Korean War activities on the base expanded again, with 20,000 reservists being trained at Chanute. In early 1960, the training program took on responsibility for all foreign language training for the Air Force as well as the prime training center for the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, though this responsibility was later transferred to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.[2]
Chanute Air Force Base provided training for airmen for service in Vietnam during the 1970s, though it no longer was involved in aircraft maintenance, and all of its runways were closed. The base continued to be involved in missile programs and later was assigned to train avionics specialists on the engines of F-15s and F-16s. In the 1980s the Chanute grounds were used to train pilots and navigators on short-field landings and drop operations as well as Basic Jet Engine Courses to teach engine technology. It eventually served as a major training facility for Air Force aircraft maintenance officers as well as personnel from other military branches.[2]
By 1988, the Department of Defense was downsizing and recommended that the Chanute Air Force base be closed. Though much of the base was repurposed for civilian use, asbestos contamination and other toxins led to the base being added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Site, and extensive cleanup activities were required.[1]
How Was Asbestos Used at the Chanute Air Force Base?
Though Chanute Field’s original construction was largely accomplished using wood, its rebirth in the 1930s used more modern materials and involved a significant amount of asbestos-containing materials. Though we now know that asbestos exposure causes malignant mesothelioma and other deadly diseases, from the 1930s to 1980 it was highly prized for its strength, fireproofing capabilities, and ability to provide effective insulation. It was used in buildings and infrastructure for all of America’s military branches, putting service members and anybody who frequented the base at risk of inhaling asbestos fibers.
Air Force service members were put at risk of asbestos exposure from structures on the Air Force bases themselves as well as from the asbestos that was a much-used component of many aircraft parts.
Asbestos-containing parts used at Chanute Air Force Base included:
- Adhesives
- Aircraft
- Aircraft Brakes
- Automobile and truck brakes
- Cargo bay insulation Adhesives
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement foundations
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- Heat shields for aircraft engines
- Heating systems in the cockpit
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials
- Paint
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Roofing
- Roofing adhesives
- Sealants
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Wallboard
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Chanute Air Force Base?
The risk of asbestos exposure at Chanute Air Force Base began during the days when it was being rebuilt in the 1930s, putting contractors, construction workers, carpenters, painters, and plumbers at risk. Additionally, workers involved in the installation of asbestos-contaminated concrete pipes or structures were at risk of breathing in asbestos fibers, and so were any boiler workers involved in keeping the physical plant of the base operational.
The risk of asbestos exposure at Chanute Air Force Base was not limited to those who helped to build the base or keep it running. The main mission at Chanute was training, with much of the focus on learning how to keep aircraft in good flying condition. Many of the parts that were integral to the planes were insulated with asbestos, and plane infrastructure was fabricated with the material.
Even family members of those who were exposed to asbestos were at risk, as the lightweight fibers that those service members and civilians didn’t inhale would adhere to their skin, hair, and clothing and be carried into their homes.
The people who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at Chanute Air Force Base included:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- Airmen
- Firefighters
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Aircraft mechanics
- Carpenters
While the people who served and worked at Chanute Air Force Base are most at risk of being diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, the deadly legacy of the asbestos that was used there continued well beyond the base’s active life. Discovery of significant amounts of asbestos in dilapidated buildings that were left behind, as well as thousands of feet of steam pipes and the steam plant itself. The Air Force was required to pay for asbestos abatement and demolition of those structures, as well as the steam tunnel vaults and White Hall.[1] Though Chanute Air Force Base was added to the Superfund Sites list, quick attention to cleanup kept it from being added to the National Priority List.
Help for Chanute Air Force Base Asbestos Victims
Though Chanute Air Force Base has not been operational for nearly 30 years, the asbestos that lurked behind its walls and within the engines of its aircraft continues to have an impact. Asbestos-related diseases like malignant mesothelioma have extremely long latency periods, and many Air Force veterans, civilian workers, and family members are being diagnosed with the rare form of cancer today.
If you have been impacted by asbestos exposure at Chanute Air Force Base, an asbestos attorney can be your best resource. They can use their experience and knowledge to guide you through the options that are available to you and help you determine which provides the best answer for you. Whether you choose to file a claim with an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund, a personal injury lawsuit against the companies responsible for your asbestos exposure, or fill out the forms required to receive disability benefits from the Veterans Administration, they can give you the answers that you need.
