For people who have been diagnosed with cancer after railroad work, there may actually be an unknown connection between the two. Railroad work exposes workers to several dangerous chemicals that have been linked with cancer.

In many cases, symptoms do not appear for years or even decades, so workers do not know that their cancer after railroad work is connected at all with their employment.

Cancer After Railroad Work

While working on a railroad, workers can be exposed to a variety of dangerous, carcinogenic chemicals. One of these chemicals is benzene, a hydrocarbon chemical commonly found on the railroad and in railroad products.

Benzene has been classified as a known carcinogen (or substance that causes cancer) by a number of institutions, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Though the use of benzene was banned in the U.S. over twenty years ago because of this well-known cancer risk, many railroad products still contain this dangerous chemical.

While the average person does not spend enough time around products containing benzene to be at a substantial risk, railroad workers are surrounded by such products on a day-to-day basis, which significantly increases their risk of cancer after railroad work.

Another serious risk of cancer after railroad work is creosote, or coal tar, which is used to coat railroad ties. Long-term exposure to creosote such as railroad work is known to cause skin cancer.

Even when workers are exposed to these chemicals on the job, they may not be aware of the connection between work exposure and cancer after railroad work.

Indeed, cancer from chemicals like benzene can take years to show symptoms, making the connection between working on a railroad and the cancer diagnosis even more difficult to put together.

Not only does this make it difficult for cancer patients to make the connect their diagnosis with its potential cause, but also means that a patient may be at a later stage of cancer before being diagnosed, which makes treatment that much more difficult.

Common Cancer After Railroad Work

Workers may be at risk of a number of kinds of cancer after railroad work. The link between railroad workers and cancer includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Lung cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Colon cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Throat cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Mesothelioma
• Multiple myeloma
• Leukemia

Filing a FELA Lawsuit Over Cancer After Railroad Work

Railroad companies whose workers have been exposed to dangerous chemicals and developed cancer after railroad work may be in violation of the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA).

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with some form of cancer after railroad work, you may be able to file a railroad worker lawsuit.

While filing a railroad cancer lawsuit cannot reverse the damage of dangerous cancer or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to offset the financial damages often incurred by medical expenses and lost wages.