Some employees who have worked around rail yards may experience cancer after railroad careers that could be related to workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals.

There are many types of cancer after railroad careers that former railroad workers have reported. These include:

• Bladder Cancer
• Colon Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Kidney Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Multiple Myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Laryngeal Cancer
• Rectal Cancer
• Stomach Cancer
• Throat Cancer
• Leukemia

These types of cancer after railroad careers can be caused by exposure to several different hazardous materials. Among these materials, benzene exposure and asbestos exposure can cause cancer after railroad careers.

Benzene is a chemical that has been mostly banned in the United States. However, some products used around rail yards still contain benzene. Also, benzene is produced when diesel fuel is burned.

Benzene is also formed by natural occurrences like volcanoes and forest fires, but it can be found in many plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides.

Originally, doctors thought that benzene could only cause lung cancers, but it has since been connected with many other types of cancers as well. It is now known that benzene can be absorbed through the skin as well as inhaled into the lungs.

If someone is exposed to benzene in large doses or over time they can develop cancer. According to cancer.org, cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have been found to be higher in those who work around benzene.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies benzene as a carcinogen, as does the Environmental Protection Agency.

Not only is benzene a highly toxic and hazardous chemical that can cause cancer after railroad careers, but asbestos exposure is also a concern for those who work for the railroads.

Asbestos is a natural mineral found in the earth, but has been used for many years in construction materials. According to the Mesothelioma Center, even though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)  began limiting asbestos in construction materials in the 1970s, railroads used the mineral extensively. In fact, some believe that railroad companies continued to used asbestos with knowledge of the health problems and did not make their employees aware.

Asbestos-related cancer after railroad careers can occur if the railroad company is using train parts that were made before the 1980s.

It has been long known that when asbestos is inhaled, the person exposed is at a high risk for lung cancers, even many years after the exposure occurred. Mesothelioma, an asbestos-related respiratory cancer, can occur as a cancer after railroad careers in those who work for railroad companies.

Additionally, many different jobs common in railroad work can be subject to hazardous chemical exposure. These include, but are not limited to, train conductor, engineer, dispatcher, freight conductor, boilerman, secondman, brakeman, guard, inspector, line engineer, lineman, signalman, stationmaster, station agent, porter and ticket collector.

If you or someone you love has developed cancer after railroad careers, you may be entitled to legal compensation.