There are just some occupations that come with inherent risk. Many risks are known by those choosing to take the jobs on from the start. Cancer risk for railroad workers was probably not even on the radar of people signing up for employment in this transportation industry early on.

What was getting attention was the higher number of injuries, illnesses and deaths occurring just by the everyday danger involved with the profession itself.

In 1908, the federal government responded to the high number of deaths among railroad workers by passing the Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA). FELA was designed to provide some legal recourse and protection to workers whose occupation had been recognized as fraught with danger.

It is the law that forms the basis for many worker injury lawsuits being filed by employees against various railroad companies.

Cancer Risk For Railroad Workers Recognized

According to a Reuters report, cancer risk for railroad workers was recognized by a study out of Switzerland in which 20,000 or more Swiss railway workers health statistics were followed for a period of 30 years.

The researchers involved with this famous study were able to draw some conclusions based on each worker’s assigned job, exposures associated with that job, and incidence of particular cancers.

Two types of cancer risks for railway workers seemed to be prevalent – the development of myeloid leukemia, and the development of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Both cancers, one of blood and the other of the lymphatic system – a secondary circulatory system of the body – occurred more frequently in relationship to the occupation and its exposure to low-frequency electro-magnetic fields (EMF’s).

EMF’s are energetic fields that surround electrical appliances, power lines, and devices. They also are naturally occurring in the environment and are believed to play a part in the migratory patterns of earth’s animals.

While we are all exposed to a limited degree to EMFs, there has been no evidence that small daily exposures pose any serious threat to the health of humans.

According to the Reuters report, there is a big difference between small exposure and unlimited daily on-the-job exposure as measured by different railroad jobs in this Swiss study.

Compared with train drivers with almost constant exposure to EMFs coming from the electrical supply of the engine not far from them, yard engineers, train attendants, and station managers have very little exposure and very little cancer risk for railroad workers, unless you consider exposure to diesel fumes and asbestos fibers.

Diesel Fumes And Asbestos Exposure Also Linked to Cancer Risk For Railroad Workers

Another hazard posing a cancer risk for railroad workers in some capacities is diesel fumes.

A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives following 38 years’ worth of health statistics of 54,973 U.S. railway workers with 4,351 lung cancer deaths suggests exposure to diesel fumes from diesel locomotives may be a factor in this type of mortality.

Finally, according to www.asbestos.com, another source of carcinogenic matter – though not unique to railroad workers – was asbestos that was used between the 1930’s and the 1970’s in the manufacturing of many car, truck, train, and other engine parts.

Long after asbestos was removed from construction products, it was continued to be used by railroads. Due to a long latency period of 15-50 years between exposure and the revelation of asbestos disease such as mesothelioma, we may be seeing this type of cancer develop in railroad workers for decades to come.