Government survey or HHE evidence class; this is not a measure of exposure severity.
Avondale Shipyard
Westwego, Louisiana · 1938–2014
Bottom Line Up Front
Avondale Shipyard — the Gulf Coast's largest shipbuilder during World War II and the Cold War — has been the subject of multiple federal appellate rulings confirming asbestos exposure and mesothelioma diagnoses among its workers. A 1997–1998 NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HETA-97-0260-2716) confirmed hazardous conditions at the facility. Federal courts have repeatedly addressed federal-officer removal and government-contractor defense issues arising from Avondale's Navy contract work, establishing a well-documented litigation record for plaintiff attorneys.
NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (1997–1998)
In 1997, NIOSH conducted a Health Hazard Evaluation at Avondale Shipyards in response to worker health concerns. The evaluation — HETA-97-0260-2716 — confirmed hazardous exposure conditions related to sandblasting dust, welding fumes, and paint burning contaminants. The full report (329 KB PDF, confirmed retrievable) is available through the CDC NIOSH document repository.
The HHE is a welding-fume and abrasive-blasting survey; specific asbestos product brands are not itemized in this evaluation. However, the confirmed presence of abrasive blast material (ABM) and the documented use of asbestos insulation in Navy vessel construction during the relevant period (1940s–1970s) establish the occupational exposure pathway.
The NIOSH HHE covers sandblasting, welding fumes, and paint burning — not asbestos specifically. Asbestos exposure at Avondale is established through the litigation record (see below) and the documented use of asbestos insulation in Navy vessel construction under the same period.
Fifth Circuit Appellate Record
Avondale Shipyard (later Avondale Industries, then Huntington Ingalls Industries) has been the subject of extensive federal asbestos litigation. The Fifth Circuit has addressed federal-officer removal and government-contractor defense issues in multiple cases arising from Avondale's Navy contract work, establishing a well-documented appellate record.
Latiolais v. Huntington Ingalls, Inc.
No. 18-30652 (5th Cir. 2019)
Plaintiff exposed to asbestos at Avondale Shipyard contracted mesothelioma. The Fifth Circuit addressed federal-officer removal and remanded on failure-to-warn claims, confirming the occupational asbestos exposure pathway at the facility.
Barrosse v. Huntington Ingalls Industries
No. 21-30761 (5th Cir. 2023)
Plaintiff worked as an Avondale electrician February 1969 – January 1970 and developed mesothelioma. The Fifth Circuit addressed federal-officer removal and government-contractor defense issues, providing detailed factual findings about asbestos exposure conditions during the late 1960s.
Hotard v. Avondale Industries, Inc.
E.D. La. Civ. No. 20-1877 (2020)
Federal court documents alleging exposure to injurious levels of asbestos and asbestos-containing products involving Avondale Industries. Filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, which has historically been the primary venue for Avondale asbestos litigation.
Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Context
Avondale was the dominant shipbuilder on the Gulf Coast during World War II and the Cold War era, constructing vessels for the U.S. Navy under federal contracts. Like other Navy contract shipyards of the period, Avondale used asbestos-containing insulation materials extensively — particularly in boiler rooms, engine rooms, and pipe systems aboard naval vessels.
The federal-officer removal doctrine has been a recurring issue in Avondale litigation because the yard's asbestos use was tied to Navy specifications and military contracts. The Fifth Circuit's repeated engagement with these cases reflects both the volume of Avondale asbestos claims and the legal complexity of government-contractor defenses in the Gulf Coast maritime context.
Documented Exposure Trades
Further reading: asbestos exposure at Avondale Shipyard — WikiMesothelioma.com
About the Authors
Paul Danziger
Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano, LLP
Paul Danziger has represented mesothelioma patients and their families for over 25 years. He holds a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and has secured hundreds of millions in verdicts and settlements for shipyard workers, veterans, and industrial tradespeople exposed to asbestos. His practice focuses exclusively on asbestos-related disease litigation.
Rod De Llano
Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano, LLP
Rod De Llano co-founded Danziger & De Llano to advocate for workers harmed by corporate asbestos negligence. With a career spanning over two decades in toxic tort litigation, he has developed deep expertise in shipyard exposure patterns, product identification, and occupational disease causation. He represents clients nationwide in mesothelioma and asbestosis claims.
Danziger & De Llano, LLP funds the Asbestos Atlas as a public-interest research project. The dataset is published under CC BY 4.0 and sourced exclusively from primary records (PubMed, NIOSH, EPA, NARA). No law-firm marketing material is used as a data source. See Methodology for the full circularity firewall protocol.