Grand Isle offshore platforms: Jones Act coverage for seamen exposed to PFAS and asbestos

Offshore platforms constructed or maintained before the early 1980s contain asbestos in insulation materials, fireproofing systems, gaskets, and drilling mud additives. As these materials break down or get worked on, they release tiny fibers that workers breathe in during normal operations. Platforms near Grand Isle, like those in the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port system 18 miles offshore, have crews doing repairs, stripping old insulation, and swapping out corroded parts.

Medical research links asbestos inhalation to mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, with symptoms typically appearing 20 to 50 years after initial exposure. Seamen who spent extended rotations aboard platforms with asbestos-containing materials qualify for Jones Act protection when their employers failed to provide respiratory protection, warn workers about fiber hazards, or implement safe removal procedures.

PFAS contamination in offshore work environments

AFFF firefighting foam contains synthetic PFAS chemicals and is standard equipment on offshore platforms for controlling hydrocarbon fires. Platforms use fixed foam systems for fire control, and workers must test these systems monthly by pressurizing lines and checking discharge, breathing in PFAS during the process. Safety exercises involve using foam extinguishers, which leave residue on gear that contaminates the spaces where workers live. Those working near fuel systems are always around firefighting equipment maintained in a ready state.

The human body collects PFAS and struggles to break them down naturally, leaving them in tissues for years after occupational contact. According to NIOSH, workers dealing with PFAS products carry higher body concentrations than the general population, with research tying these exposures to greater cancer risks, including kidney, testicular, liver, and thyroid cancers. Offshore workers conducting routine foam maintenance and drills over their careers build up PFAS levels that stay with them long after they stop working.

Jones Act coverage for platform workers

Under the Jones Act, seamen include employees who spend substantial work time aboard vessels or offshore structures treated as vessels under maritime law. Production platforms and the supply vessels servicing them qualify as Jones Act workplaces when workers maintain continuous connection through multi-week rotations.

Companies become liable when they fail to shield crews from known toxic dangers. For asbestos cases, negligence includes allowing asbestos work without proper containment, not providing rated respirators for insulation jobs, or keeping workers in the dark about fibers in materials they regularly use.

PFAS exposure claims follow similar principles. Employers who continue using PFOS-based foams after the International Maritime Organization's 2026 prohibition, allow workers to handle AFFF without self-contained breathing apparatus, or fail to implement decontamination protocols for contaminated gear, can be held liable for resulting health conditions.

Qualifying conditions for compensation

Maritime workers who developed cancer linked to platform exposures may file Jones Act claims. Qualifying PFAS-related cancers include kidney cancer, testicular cancer, liver cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, plus leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Asbestos cases cover mesothelioma, lung cancer, and several other cancer diagnoses.

Since these illnesses often show up decades after exposure, proving the connection requires detailed work records showing your platform assignments, maintenance work with asbestos materials, firefighting duties with AFFF systems, and proof that employers knew about the toxic hazards.

ELG Law assists maritime workers with Jones Act claims

If you worked aboard vessels and developed cancer, suffered catastrophic injuries, or experienced chronic illness after handling petroleum products, working in engine rooms, or performing maintenance with industrial chemicals, you may qualify for Jones Act compensation. The Environmental Litigation Group has represented toxic exposure victims for over 35 years. For more information about filing a Jones Act claim related to chemical exposure or injuries, please contact us today.