Exposure to diesel exhaust has been a daily reality for many locomotive engineers and conductors.
Common sources of diesel exposure include:
- Deadheading on trailing locomotives
- Running long-nose forward
- Traveling through tunnels with poor ventilation
- Working on outdated locomotives that leak exhaust into cabs
Many engineers and brakemen carried duct tape to seal cracks in floors, walls, and windows to keep exhaust out of the cab.
However, these makeshift solutions were not enough to prevent chronic exposure.
A retired engineer put it best:
“A 4000-horsepower locomotive burns 240 gallons of fuel an hour at full load. The equipment blower forces polluted air into the cab, where the crew sits for 10-plus hours a day breathing dirty air. Management doesn’t care.”
Diesel Exhaust & Cancer Risks
According to the World Health Organization, diesel exhaust is a known lung carcinogen.
Experts have also linked diesel exposure to:
- Bladder cancer
- Laryngeal cancer
- Throat cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Kidney cancer
Asbestos, Locomotive Engineers & Cancer
In addition to diesel exhaust, locomotive engineers and conductors were also exposed to asbestos.
Asbestos was commonly used in:
- Cab heater lines
- Steam boilers and generators
- Heating pipes inside locomotive cabs
Workers who removed asbestos from locomotives testified that it was often in damaged and friable condition, meaning asbestos fibers were easily released into the air.
Locomotive crews frequently rested their boots on asbestos-covered heating pipes, unaware of the dangers.
Even into the 1980s, locomotive manufacturers continued using asbestos-containing parts.
BNSF Railroad did not begin large-scale asbestos removal until December 1997, and asbestos was still being removed from locomotives as late as 2009.
Additional Asbestos Exposure in Rail Yards
Brakemen, conductors, and engineers were also exposed to asbestos through:
- Composition brake shoes used on locomotives and railcars
- Brake dust from applying train brakes, especially in the Central Appalachian Coal Belt
These exposures can lead to mesothelioma and other cancers, including:
- Lung cancer
- Laryngeal cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Kidney cancer
Secondhand Smoke, Railroad Conductors & Cancer
Many railroad workers never smoked but were still diagnosed with lung cancer due to secondhand smoke exposure in locomotive cabs and cabooses.
Secondhand smoke was a serious issue in the 1970s and 80s, and some railroads did not fully ban smoking until 2004-2005.
Even after the bans, many railroads failed to enforce their policies.
Amtrak is one of the worst offenders. It did not ban smoking on passenger trains until 2004, nearly 15 years after airlines prohibited smoking.
Amtrak conducted air monitoring in 1992 that revealed dangerous levels of cigarette smoke in train cars but continued to allow smoking to boost revenue.
Amtrak onboard service workers diagnosed with smoking-related cancers may have strong FELA claims.
Cancers linked to secondhand smoke include:
- Lung cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Colon and rectal cancer
- Throat and esophageal cancer
- Laryngeal cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
Other Exposures & Diseases
In addition to diesel, asbestos, and secondhand smoke, railroad workers have reported exposure to:
- Creosote
- Silica dust
- Herbicides from spray trains
- Coke emissions and chemical fumes from steel mills and refineries
These exposures can contribute to diseases such as:
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Silicosis
- Reactive Airway Disease
