Working on the railroad has been romanticized in folk music and cinema. For those whose life’s work has been beset by railroad work hazards such as benzene and creosote exposure, the picture can be far less romantic.

Exposure to benzene, a chemical that both occurs naturally as a byproduct of forest fires and volcanic eruptions and is produced when diesel fuel is burned, is one of those railroad work hazards that can produce serious health consequences.

The History of Benzene in the U.S.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website, for at least the last 20 years, the chemical benzene has been banned as an ingredient in items manufactured and targeted for residential home use.

It does, however, continue to be a product that is used in the creation of other chemicals that might be encountered in several occupations. Its base chemistry is part of detergents, solvents, pesticides and dyes. Benzene is also an ingredient used in the development of rubber and plastics. It is found in smoke generated from cigarettes and in gasoline.

In terms of railroad work hazards, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), long-term exposure to benzene fumes has been linked to cancers that affect the blood-producing agents in the human body.

While a lot depends upon the degree of railroad work hazards such as benzene concentration in the air, whether exposure is daily or weekly, and length of career, the most likely side effect will be the development of anemia, immune suppressive disorders, and/or various types of leukemia.

Other Railroad Work Hazards—Creosote

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), there are many types of creosote. Wood creosote is made from the leaves of the creosote bush from which resin is produced.

Coal tar creosotes, on the other hand, is created from distilling coal tar. Coal tar creosote is the most popular product used to treat wood used for telephone poles and railroad ties, among other things.

Three-hundred to a thousand different chemicals have been identified to be part of coal tar creosote. The effects of these chemicals on the body vary—again, depending upon amount and length of exposure and whether it was primarily by way of inhalation, direct contact with the skin, or eating food and drinking water with coal tar creosote chemicals.

Ingesting food and water with coal tar creosote chemicals has been known to produce a burning sensation in the alimentary tract including the mouth, esophagus and stomach. Continued and long-term exposure may produce liver and kidney issues ending with cancer of the internal organs. This may or may not be fatal.

Skin contact can create localized discoloration and chemical burns. For reasons unknown, long-standing unprotected skin exposure as seen in chimney sweeps has been linked to cancer of the scrotum—assuming the worker is male.

If you or a loved one has developed serious health consequences that you believe are related to railroad occupational exposures, you may be entitled to compensation under the Federal Employees Liability Act (FELA). Employers are required under this law to protect workers from hazards on the job and to pay damages if they are injured.