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Over the past 5 years we have been contacted by a number of organizations that deal with mesothelioma, asking us to provide links to their websites. On our Veterans Information page;
[ Link to: http://www.hughpurvis.com/vethealth.html ] you will see those links under "Other Health Related Links."

Recently we were contacted by a law firm representing one of our shipmates who is dealing with this problem and is not doing well. The shipmate, Carmine Rufolo, while not an HPRA member, is in our database. He served aboard from 1969 to 1972 and was known by our secretary. If you knew Carmine and worked with him you may want to think about the problem and your own health.

We asked the firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, for more information and they sent the following article...


Please read this and make your own decisions on whether this may affect you. In the document are links to their site plus links to...


As they state in their article, none of us who served aboard the Hugh Purvis are immune to the problem. Asbestos was in practically all spaces. Given the age of our shipmates today, we can should even think back to our days in high school. Asbestos was used in many buildings then. The webmaster remembers the piping leading in to the locker rooms. Pipes were wrapped with something, often hanging off pipes or school mates picking at it. It is most likely this was asbestos, used to insulate the pipes and prevent burns on those carrying hot water or steam.

So, please give this some thought. How is your health? The VA and the Navy are providing the necessary help if you qualify.