By Treven Pyles on January 21st, 2026 in Jones Act
Port Fourchon services around 90 to 100 percent of deepwater offshore operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, functioning as the primary center for offshore support vessels, crewboats, and logistics. Port Corpus Christi recorded 1,715 vessel calls in 2024, and the Houston Ship Channel is among the busiest U.S. port areas by cargo volume.
Workers embark from these ports, but the long-term toxic exposures that lead to disease occur during years aboard vessels servicing Gulf platforms.
The Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up Study was established following the Deepwater Horizon disaster and brought together tens of thousands of response workers from Gulf Coast areas. Scientists collected specimens and exposure information to determine connections between crude oil chemicals encountered offshore and resulting health problems.
Early results show that workers exposed to oil spill chemicals experienced breathing problems, higher rates of asthma, and various respiratory symptoms. The research shows that long-term exposure to petroleum chemicals in the Gulf leads to real health problems, with many symptoms showing up years later. Although focused on oil spill cleanup workers who overlap significantly with offshore vessel crews, the research demonstrates long-term health consequences from Gulf maritime work.
A meta-analysis and systematic review of petroleum industry workers found that employment in petroleum extraction, which includes offshore work, is associated with increased risks of several cancers. Lung cancer and leukemia showed significant elevation among offshore petroleum workers in international data. Mesothelioma from asbestos exposure showed up more often among petroleum workers across different work environments. Other cancers, like prostate cancer and bladder cancer, also occurred at higher rates in these groups.
A prospective analysis in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers cohort found that long-term benzene exposure was associated with increased bladder cancer risk, particularly with cumulative exposure over many years. Research included in petroleum industry reviews shows increased risk of leukemia and other blood cancers associated with hydrocarbon and benzene exposures. These findings apply to supply vessels, drill rigs, and support craft in the Gulf of Mexico, where similar chemical exposures occur.
A study of more than 28,000 offshore oil workers from 1965 to 1999 documented self-reported occupational exposure frequencies to hazardous agents common in offshore environments. Frequent exposures included oil and diesel contact, oil vapors, exhaust fumes, and chemical vapors relevant to vessel crew work in the Gulf. Many offshore workers dealt with these exposures throughout much of their work shifts, showing this was ongoing contact with toxic substances rather than just occasional incidents.
Workers on crewboats, supply vessels, and support craft running between Gulf ports and offshore platforms encounter benzene from fueling activities, diesel exhaust from engines, petroleum compounds during cargo handling, and byproducts from combustion. Engine maintenance crews, fuel transfer workers, and cargo handlers face repeated exposure to these chemicals during multi-week shifts spanning years or decades offshore.
Workplace exposures to carcinogens like benzene, asbestos, petroleum compounds, diesel exhaust, and similar substances have long latency periods. This means disease can appear 10 to 30 or more years after exposure. This principle is well established in occupational health research and explains why maritime workers often develop cancer years or decades after their offshore work.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported that cleanup workers exposed to BTEX chemicals (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) had increased odds of asthma symptoms. Research demonstrates that chronic toxic exposures encountered during long Gulf deployments manifest as respiratory disease years after contact, aligning with chronic conditions cited in Jones Act claims.
Maritime workers diagnosed with diseases linked to chronic toxic exposure aboard vessels may qualify for compensation under the Jones Act. To potentially qualify, you must have been diagnosed within the past three years. Conditions that qualify for compensation include:
Workers must demonstrate they functioned as vessel crew members contributing to vessel operations rather than passengers or platform-based personnel. The legal test examines whether someone spent at least 30 percent of their work time aboard a vessel in navigation performing duties that support the vessel's mission.
Employers violated their duty of care when they failed to provide adequate ventilation in engine rooms where diesel exhaust accumulated, allowed fuel transfer operations without respiratory protection, or permitted crew members to work in spaces with petroleum vapor concentrations exceeding safe exposure limits. Companies that knew or should have known about cancer risks from benzene, diesel exhaust, and hydrocarbon exposures but failed to implement protective measures face liability for diseases that develop years later.
If you developed cancer after years of toxic exposure aboard vessels servicing Gulf of Mexico platforms, you may be entitled to compensation under the Jones Act. The Environmental Litigation Group has represented toxic exposure victims for over 35 years. Contact us today for more information about filing a Jones Act claim.