Railroad workers faced a convergence of occupational carcinogens that few other industries matched. Asbestos-lined locomotives and brake systems, diesel exhaust filled cabs and rail yards after the transition from steam, and creosote saturated the ties and timber structures workers handled throughout their careers. Each is a recognized lung carcinogen, and together their effects compound.
Claim ApplicationAll three substances follow the same destructive path: inhalation deposits carcinogenic material deep in lung tissue, triggering chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage that accumulates over the years into malignancy.
The research on railroad workers is specific and substantial. A 38-year study of more than 54,000 U.S. railroad workers found a 40% increased lung cancer mortality risk in diesel-exposed jobs. A separate cohort of 55,407 railroad workers found that workers with the longest diesel exposure had a 45% increased lung cancer risk, a finding that held even after accounting for asbestos exposure. A case-control study found that workers with 20 years of diesel-exposed employment carried an odds ratio of 1.41 for lung cancer death.
Asbestos amplifies that risk further. Asbestos is a Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) lung carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, with risk increasing with cumulative exposure. Creosote, used extensively on railroad ties and wooden structures, contains high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, compounds the EPA and ATSDR identify as DNA-damaging carcinogens associated with increased cancer risk.
Railroad companies facing FELA claims regularly deploy aggressive defense strategies to contest the occupational origins of a lung cancer diagnosis. ELG Law's legal team understands both the science and the tactics, and has spent 35 years helping railroad workers secure compensation for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact ELG Law today to have your case evaluated for free.