5th Circuit Affirms Judgment For Chevron, Shell in Radioactivity Suit by Oilfield Worker

NEW ORLEANS — The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed summary judgment for Shell and Chevron on claims by an oilfield worker that exposure to radioactive debris in used drilling pipes left him with an increased risk of cancer.

A Circuit Court panel issued an unpublished, two-page opinion Jan. 8 in which it said it found no error in the lower court’s reasoning.

Clarence Hill alleged that defendant energy firms sent oilfield production tubes to Tuboscope Vetco International’s pipe yard while he was employed by Tuboscope, and that the tubes contained naturally occurring radioactivity. Defendants knew about the …