Northern Gulf of Mexico offshore jobs: Jones Act claims for vessel-based toxic hazards

Jones Act protection applies to seamen who develop occupational diseases from hazardous materials encountered during their shipboard work.

Offshore support vessels, crewboats, supply boats, and tugboats operating in the Gulf carry materials that expose maritime workers to multiple carcinogens. PFAS-containing firefighting foam remains stored in fixed fire-extinguishing systems and portable equipment aboard these vessels. When deployed during drills or emergencies, AFFF creates aerosols that crew members inhale and absorb through skin contact during application and cleanup operations.

Older vessels contain asbestos in various components, including the insulation in engine rooms, gaskets around pipes, and structural building materials. Workers who disturb these materials during maintenance, repair, or equipment replacement can inhale tiny fibers that get lodged in lung tissue. Benzene exposure happens aboard vessels handling fuels and petrochemical products, with vapors released during cargo operations, refueling, and fuel system maintenance.

Cancers linked to vessel-based exposures

A 2023 review found significant links between PFAS exposure and higher risks of kidney and testicular cancer, especially at elevated exposure levels. Other analyses show PFAS exposures connected to bladder cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute have been studying how PFAS compounds like PFOS and PFOA might be connected to prostate cancer and thyroid cancer.

Asbestos is one of the most well-documented occupational carcinogens for maritime workers. Shipboard insulation and gaskets used to contain asbestos fibers that cause mesothelioma, a rare and usually fatal cancer affecting the lining of the lung, heart, or abdomen. Lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, and other respiratory cancers often don't appear until decades after someone was first exposed, sometimes taking 20 to 40 years to develop.

Benzene has been identified as a Group 1 carcinogen with direct links to blood cancers like acute myeloid leukemia, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. For maritime workers, the chronic inhalation of benzene vapors from fuels and petrochemicals poses a serious threat to bone marrow health and normal blood cell formation.

Latency periods and delayed disease onset

The health problems from toxic exposure emerge gradually over time. They can take years or even decades to appear after a seaman leaves maritime work. Conditions linked to PFAS chemicals and asbestos often have these long delays between exposure and illness. It's not unusual in Jones Act cases to see workers diagnosed with mesothelioma 30 years after they handled asbestos insulation, or kidney cancer emerging years after they used firefighting foam during training drills.

Even though symptoms might not appear for decades, employer liability stays intact. Businesses that didn't provide safety equipment, neglected to put protective measures in place, or failed to warn employees about toxic dangers are still on the hook when workers eventually get sick.

Qualifying for Jones Act protection

Seaman status depends on vessel assignment and work performed aboard a vessel in navigation, not simply reporting to Gulf Coast ports. Workers must spend a substantial amount of their time contributing to the vessel's mission while it operates on navigable waters. This includes crew members on offshore support vessels, supply boats, crewboats, and tugboats servicing Gulf platforms.

Exposure that occurs while aboard the vessel during work duties forms the basis for Jones Act toxic exposure claims. Workers assigned to fixed platforms or who spend most of their time on stationary structures typically do not meet seaman status requirements, even if they were transported to those locations by vessel.

Employer negligence in toxic exposure cases

The Jones Act holds employers responsible when they fail to safeguard seamen from dangerous substances they should have known were harmful. This includes failing to provide respirators when asbestos is being disturbed, allowing firefighting foam to be used without proper protective equipment, or permitting benzene exposure in spaces without sufficient ventilation or air monitoring. Claims become more solid when companies never bothered to inform workers about cancer risks from the substances they regularly handled.

The health hazards of PFAS chemicals are now officially recognized through the International Maritime Organization's ban on PFOS-based firefighting foam that took effect January 1, 2026. When employers kept using this foam beyond the deadline or didn't transition to safer alternatives, they showed negligence toward their maritime workers.

ELG Law represents seamen with occupational disease claims

If you developed cancer after toxic exposure aboard vessels and your employer failed to provide adequate protective equipment, warnings, or safety protocols, you may be entitled to compensation under the Jones Act. The Environmental Litigation Group has represented toxic exposure victims for over 35 years. For more information about filing a Jones Act claim, please contact us today.