Mississippi offshore worker’s record verdict illustrates drilling mud asbestos risk

Less than two weeks after we wrote about the asbestos risks of offshore drilling mud, a Mississippi worker was awarded $322 million for contracting asbestosis. It is the single largest plaintiff’s asbestos jury award in U.S. history.

Many people don’t know this, but frequently asbestos was added to offshore drilling mud from the mid 1960s until as recently as 1989. In fact, drilling mud was often composed of nearly 100 percent asbestos. In the recent case and another from last year, the defendants were found to have knowingly manufactured and marketed a dangerous product.

There have been many offshore workers who contracted asbestos-related diseases such as:

-Asbestosis, a lung inflammation that can cause shortness of breath, coughing and permanent lung damage.

-Mesothelioma, a cancer of the membranes lining the chest and abdomen.

-Increased risk of lung cancer.

-Pleural Plaques, changes in lung membranes, Pleural Effusions, which are abnormal fluid buildup between the lungs and chest cavity wall, and Pleural Thickening.

Even if you were exposed to asbestos in the offshore sector years ago, the manufacturers and oil companies who put you at risk may still be liable.