If you’ve retired from, or ever worked at, the Conoco Refinery (Conoco Phillips) in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and developed mesothelioma, your disease was almost certainly caused by the time you spent in the refinery itself.
A material called asbestos, which is comprised of many small, rigid fibers, has been used in the construction of oil refineries over the last century, but the dangers of asbestos to human health have only become known to the public more recently.
That means that thousands of workers spent some or all of their careers working in buildings that were riddled with asbestos – embedded in concrete, applied as insulation, included in tiling in the floors and ceilings, and even woven into protective clothing.
Asbestos is an excellent fireproofing agent and it can slow down certain kinds of chemical reactions, so in one sense, it is an ideal material to use in an environment like the Conoco Refinery in Lake Charles.
The problem is that in all those applications, the small fibers that make up asbestos can become airborne through damage or even normal wear and tear of various pieces of the refinery’s infrastructure.
Once in the air, nearby workers would inadvertently breathe in these microscopic fibers, which would then become stuck in the small, deep air passageways in the lungs. In these cases, cancers like mesothelioma can form in the tissues surrounding the lung.
When asbestos fibers got into the mouth and were accidentally swallowed, they could similarly lodge in tissues of the stomach or intestine, ultimately causing mesothelioma of the lining of the abdomen.
Mesothelioma Lawsuit Compensation & Benefits For Conoco Refinery Workers Who Have Died Or Have Been Diagnosed With Mesothelioma
Retirees, former workers and contractors at the Lake Charles Conoco Refinery have rights to compensation for mesothelioma. The Gertler Law Firm specializes in ensuring that Louisiana families don’t have to suffer twice from employer negligence when it comes to asbestos and mesothelioma. Call (504) 527-8767 today for a free consultation with an experienced Louisiana mesothelioma attorney.
