Researchers have linked railroad work and cancer, including more than a dozen different types of cancers.

Railroad workers are exposed to dangerous ingredients, including benzene, creosote, and other chemicals.

Railroad Work and Cancer from Benzene

Even though benzene was banned more than 20 years ago in the United States, some railroad products still contain the ingredient, which is also released into the air by burning diesel fuel.

Benzene has no color, but has a sweet odor. It evaporates quickly, but is very flammable. It can exist naturally in the environment as a by-product of volcanoes and forest fires, and is found in crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the agency within the World Health Organization (WHO) that determines what agents are considered carcinogens. The IARC has determined benzene is “carcinogenic to humans” because of evidence the chemical causes acute myeloid leukemia, also known as AML.

Exposure to benzene has also been tied to cases of cancers of the lung, bladder, colon, esophagus, throat, kidneys, rectum and stomach.

Benzene is one of the links between railroad work and cancer.

Exposure to Creosote, Other Toxins

Coal tar creosote has been used as a wood preservative on railroad ties for many years. The Centers for Disease Control call creosote a toxic substance, especially to the skin and liver.

Other evidence has possibly linked creosote exposure to cancer of the scrotum.

Railroad work and cancer might not appear to be associated at first, but the hazardous chemicals in and around work sites increase cancer risk considerably.

Railroad workers who were exposed to toxins could have a claim against the railroad company, which may have failed to provide a safe working environment in violation of the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA).

When employees have worked in hazardous environments, FELA enables employees to seek financial compensation. Railroad workers do not need to spend out-of-pocket costs to participate in these types of lawsuits.

Treated Wood Still Number One for Railroad Ties

The railroad industry produces more than 24 million crossties annually, and 93 percent are made of wood. (Concrete has 6.5 percent of the market share and plastic/composite ties are used less than .05 percent of the time.)

Wood has certain performance properties that make it work well for a variety of track applications, but in order to last, wood must be treated to resist weather conditions and termites.

Wood ties normally are a lower cost per mile, except in wetter environments where the wood rots quickly despite treatments.

Most hardwood is pressure-treated with creosote. If a wood is particularly hard to treat, a dual process including treatments with borates and then more creosote is used.

Boron occurs in nature, but is combined with other ingredients to form compounds called borates that are used to create glass, fire retardants, cleaning solvents, high-energy fuel, and wood preservatives.

With exposure to so many known toxins, there could be multiple links between railroad work and cancer.

If you or a loved one worked on the railroad for more than five years and was diagnosed with cancer between 2013 and 2016, you could qualify to file a railroad work and cancer lawsuit.