Occupational research has increasingly linked rectal cancer to long-term asbestos exposure. Railroad workers diagnosed with this type of cancer following careers spent handling asbestos-containing materials may be entitled to pursue compensation under FELA, a right supported by multiple major meta-analyses documenting elevated rectal cancer risk in heavily exposed worker populations.
Claim ApplicationAsbestos fibers inhaled during locomotive repair, brake work, and maintenance operations were frequently swallowed after being cleared from the respiratory tract, carrying them through the digestive system to the rectum. When fibers touch rectal tissue, they generate reactive oxygen species, which damage DNA in epithelial cells, cause chronic inflammation and disrupt normal cellular repair mechanisms. Over the decades, these conditions can lead to malignancy.
A 2025 BMJ Occupational and Environmental Medicine meta-analysis of more than 140 asbestos studies found a 16% increased risk for colorectal cancer, with higher estimates in occupational groups with high exposures. The researchers concluded that the evidence supports a causal link between occupational asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer, including its rectal component.
A large pooled analysis of 144 studies found the same elevated risk pattern, with stronger associations in insulation workers and high, cumulative exposure cohorts.
Railroad employees fell squarely within those high-exposure categories. Locomotive insulation, brake linings, steam systems, and enclosed repair shop environments created repeated, long-duration asbestos contact throughout a working career.
Rectal cancer appearing decades after railroad employment may be traceable to occupational asbestos exposure, and that history remains legally relevant under FELA regardless of when the diagnosis arrives. ELG Law has 35 years of experience connecting occupational exposure records to cancer diagnoses. Contact us today to find out whether your case qualifies for a FELA claim.