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Almost everyone in the United States has heard the word “asbestos” during the last 20 years.

It is common knowledge that asbestos was used to make many products including insulation, roofing materials and other residential and commercial building products. However, it is less known that asbestos was also used in the oil field industry including on land rigs as well as offshore oil rigs.

If you worked in the oil field on land or offshore, it is possible that you were previously exposed to asbestos.

You should know the following information. Everyone has heard the term “asbestos” but few people realize that it actually refers to a group of naturally occurring minerals.

These minerals have various names and characteristics, but common to all of them is the fact that they can produce very small fibers which can be inhaled into a person's lungs.

These “asbestos” fibers cannot be processed by a person's body in any way. For this reason, asbestos fibers stay inside a person's lungs and body permanently. The oil field, both on land as well as off shore, began using asbestos products during the 1960's and continued through the mid to late 1980's. Asbestos products were used as additives in connection with the drilling mud used for offshore and on land drilling. Asbestos provided heat resistant properties as well as a cohesive property, or bonding agent, which was very beneficial when mixed with drilling mud. Several of these asbestos-related products were actually pure asbestos fibers which workers were required to mix directly into the drilling mud. Individuals who have previously been exposed to asbestos should be aware of the following health problems which could be asbestos related. First, common lung cancer can be asbestos related in that past asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's likelihood of suffering lung cancer. This is true for smokers who have previously been exposed to asbestos. Even though these individuals may believe their lung cancer is related solely to their past smoking history, in fact asbestos exposure may have played a significant role in contributing to their lung cancer.

The asbestos-specific cancer, mesothelioma, can occur in a person's lungs, heart area, abdomen and testicles. Mesothelioma is only caused by asbestos. Finally, asbestosis is a condition of having actual asbestos fibers within a person's lungs. This can be diagnosed with X rays and proper medical testing.

These fibers can ultimately lead to pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lungs) as well as mesothelioma. The good news for workers who were previously exposed to asbestos in the oil and gas industry is that maritime law and a federal law known as the Jones Act may provide relief for these workers if they worked offshore or on drilling barges on the water. Under maritime law and the Jones Act, claims can be filed directly against past employers for any asbestos-related exposure that a worker may have experienced while working for these past employers. This situation typically arises in regard to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and drilling barges which operated from the 1960's through the mid to late 1980's. Many of the workers on these oil rigs and drilling barges were exposed to asbestos and they may just be beginning to experience asbestos-related health problems because many asbestos-related health problems do not surface or “manifest” until decades after the worker's exposure to asbestos.
To learn more about asbestos , visit the author's site. Resources such as JonesActAsbestosLawyer .com can also provide help and information.

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