FELA: Colon cancer claims

How railroad asbestos exposure leads to colon cancer

Asbestos fibers inhaled during locomotive repair, brake maintenance, and shop work were not always retained in the lungs. Many were cleared from the respiratory tract and swallowed, carrying them into the gastrointestinal system, where they could lodge in the colon's mucosal lining. Once there, the fibers trigger the same cascade seen in other asbestos-related cancers:

• Chronic inflammation from persistent fiber contact with intestinal tissue
• Oxidative stress that generates reactive oxygen species, damaging epithelial cells
• DNA injury and disrupted cellular repair mechanisms that accumulate over decades

The quantitative evidence is specific. A major meta-analysis published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine found a pooled relative risk of approximately 1.16 among asbestos-exposed workers, with stronger associations in higher exposure groups. A separate systematic review of more than 20 occupational cohorts found significantly increased colorectal cancer mortality, and a foundational CDC and NIOSH analysis identified elevated colon cancer risk across multiple heavily exposed worker populations.

Railroad employees accumulated that exposure through locomotive insulation, boiler systems, brake components, and enclosed repair shop environments over entire careers.