Railroad Settlements and Asbestos
In 1862, Congress passed The Pacific Railroad Act. This act helped to fund two transcontinental railroad companies by providing large grants for rights of way. Railroad workers who contract cancer because of workplace exposures can sue their employers under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA).
An Illinois jury handed down an $7.5 million verdict to a former Union Pacific trackman dying from acute myeloid leukemia. The judge blamed the blood-cancer on exposure to creosote the chemical benzene, and other chemicals used to preserve wooden railroad ties.
Creosote
Coal tar Creosote, an organic wood preserver, is used to protect railroad tie from the sun, heat and cold, rain, and snow. Workers are exposed to toxic solvents and chemicals, such as benzene, during the application of coal creosote. Benzene is a well-known carcinogen and can cause leukemia, myelodysplastic disorder and non-Hodgkin's lupus as well other serious side consequences like convulsions changes in your heartbeat, liver damage, anemia and bone marrow damage. cancer of the skin and lungs.
Our lawyers have successfully defended various lawsuits against Union Pacific Railroad involving coal-tar creosote exposure. One of these cases was settled with an award of $750,000. railroad injury settlement amounts was a track employee who developed acute myeloid leukemia as a result of exposure to the chemical compound that is toxic on his job over 31 years. The jury found that the railroad did not provide him with personal protective equipment, and exposed him to a variety of toxic chemicals, including coal-tar tar creosote, as well as coal distillates.
Another claim was about the use of copper naphthenate as an alternative to creosote derived from coal. Although it is less harmful to the environment than creosote, is extremely dangerous. Copper naphthenate has been identified as a carcinogen and can cause skin, nerve and lung damage to the lung, skin and nerves. It also can contaminate soil and groundwater with benzene.
Benzene
A colorless liquid petroleum hydrocarbon, benzene is used in manufacturing of resins, plastics, nylon and synthetic fibers. It is also used in diesel fuels and exhaust. Nearly all railroad workers are exposed to diesel fumes on a regular basis. Benzene is a known carcinogen has been linked to leukemia and the myelodysplastic disorder (MDS).
There is no safe exposure to benzene. It is taken in through the skin and inhaled. Long-term exposure to it can damage the blood and cause many different health issues, including menstrual cycle irregularities, anemia and fertility issues. There is also a link between benzene to certain types of cancer which include lung and breast cancer.
Inhaling Multiple myeloma settlements is the most dangerous. Inhaling benzene may cause headaches, dizziness nose bleeds, dizziness and loss of consciousness. Benzene may also affect the immune system, which could cause infections.
Recent reports have highlighted the elevated levels benzene near two Chicago train stations. Commuters as well as railroad workers and city residents were exposed to high levels of pollution. Schools closed classes, and cities urged residents to take shelter. Railroad workers, including car department employees, locomotive machinists electricians and pipefitters, regularly utilize benzene-containing products, like Safety-Kleen parts washers and CRC Brakleen as well as thinners and paints. Also, benzene is used in printing solvents.
Asbestos
As early as the 1800s, asbestos was used in the railroad industry. Asbestos is comprised of six silicate minerals naturally occurring with a fibrous structure. They were once utilized in construction because of their resistance to corrosion, fire-resisting and insulate characteristics. Inhaling these tiny fibers could cause serious health issues like lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. These illnesses can last up to 30 years before symptoms begin to manifest.
The EPA has stopped the mining and process of asbestos in this country, but it is still used in many products. This includes some types of paper, flooring felt, and fake fireplace embers. When these materials are exposed either to water or heat, they can release asbestos fibers. The fibers can also be released into the air when buildings are destroyed or when homes are remodeled.
A recent study has shown that exposure to benzene for only five years significantly increases the likelihood of developing acute myeloid cancer (AML). Contact railroad back injury settlements if are experiencing symptoms such as night sweats or an unprovoked weight loss. They can perform a blood test to check for AML.
The EPA reached a settlement in a recent case against Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services Inc. GWRSI uses locomotives that operate on diesel fuel and emit nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This EPA settlement mandates that GWRSI replace any of its locomotives with newer models that meet EPA emissions standards.
Diesel Exhaust
As long diesel fuel continues to be used to power freight train railroad workers are exposed to exhaust. Diesel exhaust is a dangerous mix of chemicals that includes carcinogens such benzene and carbon monoxide. It also contains particulate matter, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.
In reality the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified diesel exhaust as a Group 1 carcinogen. Additionally, diesel exhaust is a source of respiratory illness in the form of bronchiopulmonary illnesses such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2006 related railroad worker employment to COPD rates.
Locomotive and rail cars belch diesel exhaust when they are running and idle in roundhouses and depots as well as shops and yards. union pacific settlements emit gases, like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxidants along with diesel fumes.
Diesel exhaust fumes are usually indistinguishable in locomotive cabs where conductors and engineers spend up to six hours a day. When workers enter or exit the cabs, the engine and equipment emit more diesel exhaust fumes that pose a risk for lung and cancer of the railway.
Furthermore railroad mechanics are also exposed to diesel exhaust in poorly ventilated roundhouses and shops. They work with locomotives and track equipment in closed spaces that frequently produce harmful inhalants, including asbestos-insulated steam boilers and steam pipes and silica sand.