Seamen and shipyard workers have spent careers exposed to some of the most well-documented occupational carcinogens: asbestos, diesel exhaust, and creosote. Each is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and maritime environments historically concentrated all three within the same enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces where workers lived and worked for extended shifts.
Claim ApplicationAsbestos fibers lodge permanently in lung tissue and cause oxidative stress and chromosomal damage. A major peer-reviewed review found asbestos exposure increased lung cancer risk by approximately 70% or more in heavily exposed workers, with risk climbing further when combined with smoking.
Diesel particulate matter penetrates deep into the alveoli. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study found workers with high cumulative exposure had significantly elevated lung cancer mortality, even after controlling for smoking and other carcinogens.
Creosote is often used on docks, pilings, and other wooden marine structures and contains mutagenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that damage DNA and cause mutations in lung tissue.
The unique factor in maritime lung cancer cases is the cumulative effect of exposure. Science shows that these substances interact with each other, increasing the carcinogenic impact of each beyond what any one exposure would cause on its own. Workers were not exposed to one carcinogen in isolation:
Under the Jones Act, seamen may bring claims when lung cancer is caused or significantly contributed to by workplace exposure to hazardous substances. Compensation may cover medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and wrongful death damages for surviving family members. If decades of working aboard vessels have led to a lung cancer diagnosis, you may qualify to file a Jones Act claim. Reach out to ELG Law to have your case reviewed and find out whether you qualify for a claim.