Louisiana Asbestos Areas

Louisiana is home to a substantial number of businesses that have made extensive use of asbestos in the past. Along the Mississippi River there are a number of shipyards that have been in business for decades. Asbestos was used extensively as insulation in commercial shipping. Louisiana Power and Light operates more than a dozen standard power plants along with their newer nuclear power generation facilities. 

The state is central to the oil industry along the Gulf Coast. Louisiana is home to a large number of refineries, many of which are old enough to have used asbestos in their fittings and processing equipment. There is also a wide variety of chemical plants, some of them old enough to have changed hands three or four times. 

Facilities like this, which were well established in Louisiana when asbestos was still in use, were also places of employment where employees were exposed to asbestos in its many uses.  Chemical plants, refineries and shipyards are known for their use of asbestos for both insulation and for heat control. Some workers wore protective clothing with asbestos fibers woven in to deal with high heat exposure.

Asbestos Exposure from Hurricane Katrina

Of course the most recent issue confronting Louisiana citizens is the thousands of older homes that were destroyed by Katrina and will need demolition before they can be replaced. Many if not most of those houses have asbestos in their roofs or floors or walls. The cleanup of toxics is an integral part of the rebuilding that has been going on in New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.

Asbestos Jobsites in Louisiana

Below is a partial list of facilities in Louisiana that may have used asbestos or asbestos-coated components along their processing lines:

Shintech Plastics     Addis, LA
Borden Chemical    Addis, LA
Oxychem     Addis, LA
Firestone Chemical    Addis, LA
Louisiana Pacific    Alexandria, LA
Proctor & Gamble    Alexandria, LA
Martin Sawmill    Alexandria, LA
Algiers Naval Station    Algiers, LA
Todd Shipyard     Algiers, LA
Avondale Shipyard     Amelia, LA
McDermott Marine Shipyard   Amelia, LA
American Sugar Refinery   Arabi, LA
Domino Sugar     Arabi, LA
Cargill Salt     Avery Island, LA
Akzo Nobel Salt    Avery Island, LA
International Salt    Avery Island, LA
Exxon       Baker, LA
Gulf States Fabricating   Baker, LA
International Paper    Bastrop, LA
Copolymer Rubber & Chemical  Baton Rouge, LA
Georgia Pacific Paper Mill   Baton Rouge, LA
Allied Chemical    Baton Rouge, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Baton Rouge, LA
Imperial Chemical Industries   Baton Rouge, LA
Standard Oil Chemical Plant   Baton Rouge, LA
Exxon Refinery    Baton Rouge, LA
Consolidated Chemical Plant   Baton Rouge, LA
Amoco Oil     Baton Rouge, LA
Stauffer Chemical    Baton Rouge, LA
Kaiser Aluminum    Baton Rouge, LA
Millwood Packing Company   Baton Rouge, LA
Solvay Chemical    Baton Rouge, LA
Formosa Plastics    Baton Rouge, LA
Foster Grant Chemical Plant   Baton Rouge, LA
Gulf States Utilities    Baton Rouge, LA
Maryland Tank Farm    Baton Rouge, LA
Chevron Oil     Belle Chasse, LA
Chevron Chemical    Belle Chasse, LA
Gulf Oil      Belle Chasse, LA
Gulf Alliance Chemical   Belle Chasse, LA
Lula Sugar     Belle Rose, LA
Crown Zellerbach Paper   Bogalusa, LA
Gaylord Container    Bogalusa, LA
Bogalusa Paper Mill    Bogalusa, LA
Bossier Wire & Cable Corporation  Bossier, LA
Rayco Shipbuilders And Repairs  Bourg, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Boyce, LA
Amax Metals     Braithwaite, LA
Cuban American Nickel Co.   Braithwaite, LA
Louisiana Sugar    Beau Bridge, LA
Cargill Salt     Beau Bridge, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Bridge City, LA
Billeaud Sugar Factory   Broussard, LA
Cinclare Sugar     Brusly, LA
DuPont Chemical    Burnside, LA
Weyerhaeuser Industries    Campti, LA
W.R. Grace     Carlyss, LA
Pittsburgh Plate Glass    Carlyss, LA
Cosmar Chemical    Carville, LA
Atofina Polystyrene    Carville, LA
Mobil Oil     Chalmette, LA
Exxon Oil     Chalmette, LA
Tenneco Oil     Chalmette, LA
Shell Oil     Chalmette, LA
Murphy Oil     Chalmette, LA
Bay Petroleum     Chalmette, LA
Kaiser Aluminum     Chalmette, LA
Freeport Chemical    Convent, LA
Occidental Chemical    Convent, LA
Texaco Oil      Convent, LA
Humble Oil     Crowley
Exxon      Crowley
International Paper    Cullen, LA
Dupont Chemical    Darrow, LA
Sunoco Oil     Delhi, LA
Georgia Pacific    De Quincy, LA
Boise Cascade     Deridder, LA
Crosby Chemical    Deridder, LA
Ampacet      Deridder, LA
Pan American Oil Refinery   Destrehan, LA
C.F. Industries     Donaldsonville, LA
Triad Chemical     Donaldsonville, LA
First Nitrogen Plant    Donaldsonville, LA
Agrico Chemical    Donaldsonville, LA
Caire & Gaugnaird Sugar   Edgard, LA
Transcontinental Gas Pipeline  Eunice, LA
Cabot Corporation    Franklin, LA
Sterling Sugar     Franklin, LA
Freeport Sulphur    Garden Island, LA
Marathon Oil      Garyville, LA
Nalco Chemical    Garyville, LA
Shell Chemical    Geismar, LA
Rubicon Chemical    Geismar, LA
Vulcan Materials    Geismar, LA
BASF Wyandotte Chemical   Geismar, LA
Allied Chemical    Geismar, LA
Honeywell     Geismar, LA  
Kaiser Aluminum    Gramercy, LA
Colonial Sugar    Gramercy, LA
Hooker Chemical    Hahnville, LA
Union Carbide     Hahnville, LA
Dow Chemical    Hahnville, LA
Hunt Shipyard     Harvey, LA
Smurfit Stone  Paper Mill   Hodge, LA  
Bourg Drydock    Houma, LA
Main Iron Works Shipyard   Houma, LA
Progressive Shipbuilding   Houma, LA
Quality Shipyard    Houma, LA
Rayco Shipbuilders    Houma, LA
Southdown Sugar    Houma, LA
Louisiana Dock Co.    Jefferson, LA
S.B.A. Shipyards    Jennings, LA
St Mary Sugar Mill    Jeanerette, LA
Patout Sugar Mill    Jeanerette, LA
Stone Hodge     Jonesboro, LA
Smurfit Stone     Joyce, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Killona, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Lafayette, LA
Southern Gulf Operators   Lafayette, LA
Olin Mathieson Chemical   Lake Charles, LA
Firestone Tire & Rubber   Lake Charles, LA
Continental Carbon    Lake Charles, LA
Citgo Oil      Lake Charles, LA
Gulf Coast Aluminum    Lake Charles, LA
PPG Chemical     Lake Charles, LA
Occidental Chemical    Lake Charles, LA
Dow Chemical    LaPlace, LA
Halter Marine     Lockport, LA
Monsanto Chemical    Luling, LA
Lion Oil Refinery    Luling, LA
Celotex     Marrero, LA
Johns Manville    Marrero, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Minden, LA
Olin Mathieson Paper Mill   Monroe, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Monroe, LA
McDermott Shipyard    Morgan City, LA
Shell Chemical    Narco, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Natchitoches, LA
National Machinery    New Iberia, LA
Morton Chemical    New Iberia, LA
American Marine    New Orleans, LA
Avondale Shipyard    New Orleans, LA
Boland Marine    New Orleans, LA
City of New Orleans    New Orleans, LA
Delta Shipyard    New Orleans, LA
J.C. Higgins Shipyard    New Orleans, LA
Equitable Shipyard     New Orleans, LA
Halter Marine     New Orleans, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   New Orleans, LA
Lone Star Cement    New Orleans, LA  
Marquette Insulation    New Orleans, LA
Martin Marietta    New Orleans, LA
Owens Illinois Glass    New Orleans, LA
Todd Shipyard     New Orleans, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   New Roads, LA
Dupont Corp.     Norco, LA
Shell Oil     Norco, LA
Kaiser Aluminum    Norco, LA
Valero Refinery    Norco, LA
Boise Cascade     Oakdale, LA
Arizona Chemical    Oakdale, LA
Kraft Paper Mill    Pineville, LA
Proctor & Gamble    Pineville, LA
Hercules Chemical    Plaquemine, LA
Dow Chemical    Plaquemine, LA  
Dupont Chemical    Plaquemine, LA
International Pipe Systems   Port Allen, LA
Placid Oil Refinery    Port Allen, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Ruston, LA
Crown Zellerbach    St. Francisville, LA
Gulf States Utilities    St. Francisville, LA
Atlas Oil     Shreveport, LA
Allen Millwork    Shreveport, LA
Bird & Son Roofing    Shreveport, LA
General Motors    Shreveport, LA
J.B. Beard Manufacturing   Shreveport, LA
Kansas City Southern Railroad  Shreveport, LA
Olin Mathieson    Shreveport, LA
Pennzoil     Shreveport, LA
Southern Shipbuilding   Slidell, LA
Becker Chemical    Taft, LA
Hooker Chemical    Taft, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Taft, LA
Shell Gas     Toca, LA
Conoco     Westlake, LA
Pittsburgh Plate Glass    Westlake, LA
Vista Chemical    Westlake, LA
Louisiana Power & Light   Westwego, LA
Shell Oil     Yscloskey, LA
Georgia Pacific    Zachary, LA

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Deaths in Louisiana

In 2004 the Environmental Working Group (EWG) completed an analytical study on the number of asbestos-caused deaths in this country between 1979 and 2001. Their principal resource was federal data – and the federal government did not begin to track deaths specifically from malignant mesothelioma until 1999. However death certificates will often cite a suspected cause; cases that cited asbestos exposure as the cause of lung cancer can be assumed to be mesothelioma.

In Louisiana, the EWG study reports 357 deaths from asbestosis during the 22 year period covered by the study. Mesothelioma deaths are recorded as being in the range of 340 to 540. However from 1999 through 2004 based on actual tracking of mesothelioma deaths, the federal government reports 278 occurrences in Louisiana. Clearly the pattern of mesothelioma deaths reflects a rise – probably due to the fact that it often takes twenty years or more for mesothelioma symptoms to appear after the initial exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma Treatment in Louisiana

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has developed a network of forty one cancer centers that are existing cancer treatment facilities engaged in substantial research.  The NCI hopes to facilitate cancer research by underwriting both research and treatment at these prominent facilities. The closest such facilities to Louisiana are:

Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center 
Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza
Houston, Texas 77030
Tel: (713) 798-1354
Fax: (713) 798-2716

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 
University of Texas
1515 Holcombe Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77030
Tel: (713) 792-2121
Fax: (713) 799-2210

In Louisiana there are also cancer centers that specialize in treatment and research:

The Tulane Cancer Center
1430 Tulane Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112
Phone: 504-988-6060
Fax: 504-988-6077

Feist-Weiller Cancer Center
Louisiana State University
1501 Kings Hwy.
Shreveport, LA 71130
(318) 813-1000
(866) 578-3922