Shipyard asbestos exposure has resulted in malignant mesothelioma for a man who worked for Avondale Shipyards from 1968 to 2002.

Plaintiff Robert T. says he worked with asbestos-containing materials, including pipes, valves, turbines, boilers, furnaces, compressors, brakes and insulation for many years.

Shipyard Asbestos Exposure Allegedly Damaged His Lungs

While he was employed with Avondale, Robert says he “used, handled, and/or was in the vicinity of others using or handling asbestos or asbestos-containing products at various locations, wherein dangerously high levels of asbestos fibers escaped into the ambient air of the work place.”

Asbestos was used in the facilities where Robert worked because the material was fibrous, fire-resistant and provided good insulation, he claims. The shipyard asbestos exposure lawsuit goes on to say that after breathing those fibers for years, Robert developed pleural mesothelioma, an incurable terminal cancer.

The shipyard asbestos exposure complaint alleges the defendants knew or should have known through industry publications and medical studies that the asbestos-containing products were hazardous.

When asbestos materials are disturbed, they release tiny fibers into the air. When microscopic fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they become embedded inside the body. It takes decades, but the trapped fibers can cause inflammation, scarring and genetic changes that lead to cancer.

Because of that latency period between asbestos exposure and the onset of malignant mesothelioma, Robert only recently discovered his injuries. Symptoms include shortness of breath, persistent dry cough, persistent chest pain, difficulty swallowing, night sweats, fever, and fatigue.

Companies Allegedly Disregarded Safety Precautions

Many precautions could have been taken to protect Robert from shipyard asbestos exposure, Robert alleges. He claims a lack of sufficient safety instructions and a lack of warning of hazardous products contributed to the level of asbestos exposure.

The shipyard asbestos exposure lawsuit faults the companies for failing to properly package the products to ensure safe transportation, handling, storage and disposal of asbestos. They allegedly failed to inform Robert “of the need for adequate engineering or industrial hygiene measures to control the level of exposure to asbestos.”

The defendants allegedly never discussed general ventilation, respiratory protection or the use of wet methods that would limit the release of asbestos fibers into the air.

Robert says he was never advised to take precautions to prevent transporting asbestos fibers to his home. His family members could have been exposed to second-hand introduction of deadly asbestos fibers. When he went home with fibers on his clothing, any family member shaking out the dust before laundering the clothes would be exposed to asbestos.

Nearly 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States. Although asbestos use in the U.S. has dropped in recent decades, the number of people diagnosed with the rare cancer has remained steady.

The Shipyard Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-05935 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.