A man who spent 36 years working as an asbestos insulator for the U.S. Navy says he was working for five years before he even knew that he was being exposed to dangerous asbestos.

A posting on the website Lawyers and Settlements outlines the life of Fred, an insulator who was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. At just 59 years of age, Fred knows death could be imminent and resents the fact that his life was placed in danger without his knowledge.

“I worked insulating pipes and boilers, and removing asbestos from boilers, and pipes on tanks used in world wars I and II,” Fred said. “I first came in contact with asbestos on the base in 1979. The first asbestos controlled removal was in 1986 at the base. That’s when they issued us with the Tyvek suits and respirators. Before that I was just removing asbestos with my street clothes. I didn’t know I was exposed or that it was dangerous. What opened my eyes in the first place was a company down the street from us that dealt with asbestos piping, and it occurred to me at the time that maybe I was working with this stuff.”

Fred also believes Navy officials weren’t honest about what he and others like him were dealing with on the job. “The Navy said that the Great Lakes base didn’t have any asbestos. But I took samples from eight or nine buildings, of materials that I was working with, and sent it off for testing,” he explains. “Every sample came back with asbestos. As a result, the Navy had to recant what they said about there being no asbestos on the base. They had to put the information in the newspapers.”

Though Fred’s cancer is not lung-related at this point, he does suffer from pleural plaques, a thickening of the chest wall that causes pain and makes it difficult to breathe. The disorder makes him a prime candidate for mesothelioma in the future and also makes it difficult for him to work.

“Things are terrible for me now; I’m tired all the time. When I get tired I just have to stop,” Fred explains, barely concealing his anger at the Navy and their disregard for his life.