Studies have found that railroad workers are at a significantly increased risk of developing cancer due to their exposure to numerous hazardous substances throughout their careers. Roswell Park, a leading cancer research and treatment institution has researched and outlined cancer risks for railroad workers. According to Roswell, common railroad exposures include asbestos, silica, diesel exhaust, solvents, creosote, welding fumes and herbicides/weed killers. The analysis is part of an overall examination of occupations and workplaces that present cancer risk to employees.
Railroad workers who have worked with or around dangerous substances during their careers should discuss their exposures with their doctor, discuss if regular cancer screenings are appropriate for them, and be certain to have yearly physical examinations by their doctor.
Our office has been handling occupational disease claims for railroad workers for these types of exposures for decades. Many railroad workers have no idea that the substances that they work around every day -often without any breathing protection – could cause lasting damage.
The cancer research center specifically linked these exposures with “a broad range of cancers: bladder, colon, kidney, throat, lung, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and mesothelioma, as well as some non-cancers, such as asbestosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).” Even more troubling, there is evidence that most major railroad companies KNEW about the dangers that their workers faced, and failed to take the necessary precautions to protect them.
If you or a loved one are a railroad worker who has been diagnosed with cancer as a result of railroad exposures, contact us today.
