Former railroad workers who have developed cancer after railroad career may not have recognized that their disease may have been linked to their job. These employees may have been frequently exposed to a deadly carcinogen known as benzene.

In the United States, Benzene has been banned from consumer products for more than 20 years. Nevertheless, products used within the railroad system still contain this known carcinogen. Additionally, benzene is present in the fumes produced by trains’ diesel engines.

Cancer After Railroad Career Risks and Facts

Cancer after railroad career may occur because these employees were exposed to benzene. This toxic chemical may become inhaled and absorbed through the skin. Although some past reports may have incorrectly stated and misinformed the public that benzene can only cause lung cancer, cancer after railroad career may manifest as many different types of cancer.

The types of cancer after railroad career that may result due to benzene exposure include, but are not limited to: kidney cancer, lung cancer, rectal cancer, throat cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, multiple myeloma, laryngeal cancer, stomach cancer, and other cancer types.

Other Cancer After Railroad Career Risks

Benzene is not the only carcinogen linked to cancer after railroad career among previous railroad workers. The presence of other carcinogens may also explain why there are cancers developed by these former employees. For example, former employees who used to work with locomotives may have developed cancers from exposures to creosote and other chemical solvents.

Evidence suggests that exposure to creosote, a chemical compound and a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by material such as fossil fuel and wood, may cause cancer of the scrotum and other skin cancers. Moreover, chronic toxic encephalopathy and other brain diseases may be caused and due to exposure to chemical solvents.

Reports further indicate that former employees who have been diagnosed with cancer after railroad career may believe that their diagnosis is the result of family history or some other possible cause , but in fact, it may be the result of on-the-job exposure to carcinogens, and other chemical solvents or deadly products.

If railroad companies fail to provide a safe working environment for their employees, any resulting harm to their employees could be compensable under FELA, or the Federal Employers Liability Act.

FELA allows former employees who suffered injury or disease due to an on-the-job cause to seek financial compensation by filing a legal action in federal court. Additionally, these lawsuits often do not require any out-of-pocket costs on behalf of the railroad worker.

In December 2016, a recent railroad worker lawsuit ended in an award of $7.5 million on behalf of a railroad employee who was allegedly diagnosed with cancer after exposure to dangerous carcinogens or dangerous chemicals. The plaintiff had filed the lawsuit in December 2010 against his former employer, Union Pacific Railroad company.