For better or worse, Louisiana is a major oil production state. Like Texas, the state has numerous refineries – it’s the wells that are offshore on rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil refineries are notorious for their use of asbestos insulation, valves and valve gaskets during the twentieth century.
The same is true of chemical plants, where asbestos was valuable because of its resistance to corrosion. Baton Rouge has, or had nine chemical plants operating within city limits during the twentieth century, when industrial facilities that used heat in their processing relied on asbestos insulation and asbestos products that were resilient and would not burn.
Many such facilities went up in Louisiana before asbestos products were taken off the shelves. New Orleans was home to several shipyards which were always high-risk zones for asbestos exposure. The use of asbestos insulation on ships built prior to 1980 was almost universal and there was a lot of it that would be replaced during repairs. Sailors and shipyard workers are at the top of the list for professions where people were exposed to asbestos, later to develop one of the lethal asbestos diseases.
Other prime locations for asbestos insulation and products like flooring or valve packing or gaskets were the power plants operated by Louisiana Power & Light. There was even an auto production installation in Shreveport operated by General Motors – a company that has seen tens of thousands of asbestos claims filed against it.
Legal Rights for Louisiana Asbestos Victims
Louisiana is another state that has a brief period for legal action after discovery of a personal injury or, with asbestos, diagnosis of a disease. The state allows one year for the filing of a claim or a wrongful death suit. However the history of asbestos litigation in Louisiana shows that the courts have allowed some flexibility in this area. Mesothelioma cancer can take up to forty years after the asbestos exposure has occurred to develop. Often the diagnosis for mesothelioma or asbestosis can take a while as well, because both diseases share symptoms with much more common afflictions.
If you have a health issue you believe is related to asbestos exposure you should speak with an asbestos attorney who is familiar with Louisiana law and with other legal options such as the federal courts or the trust funds set up by asbestos companies to pay off claims. Fill out the brief form on this page and we will be in touch immediately. There is no charge for our consultation services. Read more about how to to find the right Asbestos lawyer as well as recent Mesothelioma case settlements in addition to lawsuits for Mesothelioma.
