Can Living Near Railroad Tracks Cause Cancer?

The railroad industry moves goods with powerful diesel locomotives and supports that movement with rail yards, sidings, track maintenance, and treated railroad ties.

These activities release diesel emissions and, in some places, leave behind hazardous substances from historic operations.

Multiple research lines (cancer classifications, health-risk assessments around yards, near-source air-pollution science, and coal-train studies) support a credible concern for communities near rail operations, especially where trains idle, train cars pass frequently, or large rail yards sit close to homes.

What is the Difference Between Occupational Exposure and Community Exposure?

Occupational exposure (railroad employees) typically experience higher-dose, longer-hour workplace exposures to diesel fuel exhaust, solvents, benzene, creosote, and other dangerous chemicals during operations, shop work, or track maintenance.

These are well documented in worker studies and underpin the consensus that chronic, high-intensity diesel exposure raises lung cancer risk.

Community exposure (nearby residents), on the other hand, typically experience lower-dose but prolonged exposure to the same pollutants when homes border busy lines or large yards, especially downwind.

While residents are not as intensely or as frequently exposed as workers, long-term proximity can still increase cumulative exposure to carcinogens like diesel particulate matter and benzene.

Scientific Studies and Assessments Relevant to Residents Nearby Rail Operations

Living near tracks doesn’t automatically mean cancer, but where railroad industry activity is heavy (big yards, frequent diesel traffic, uncovered dusty cargoes), prolonged exposure to carcinogenic pollutants can be higher than in other neighborhoods.

If your home sits very close to a busy corridor or yard, especially downwind, it’s reasonable to ask about local monitoring, support near-home exposure reduction, and push for rail-side measures that reduce emissions at the source.

Relevant studies and assessments include:

• IARC classification of diesel exhaust (WHO): Diesel engine exhaust is carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), with sufficient evidence for lung cancer. This is the core scientific foundation: when diesel emissions are consistently elevated near homes, cancer risk plausibly rises. (IARC Press Release No. 213, 2012).
• California rail-yard health-risk assessments (CARB): Multiple assessments (e.g., Roseville, City of Industry, Colton, Long Beach intermodal) modeled diesel particulate from locomotives and yard equipment and found elevated lifetime cancer risk for neighborhoods closest to large yards, with risk declining over distance (often beyond ~1 mile).
• EPA “near-road” science (applicable by analogy to train corridors): EPA summarizes higher concentrations of traffic-related pollutants within ~300–500 meters of major corridors and associates proximity with increased risks including childhood leukemia signals in some studies—mechanisms (fine particles, PAHs, benzene) overlap with rail emissions.
• Coal-train particulate studies (California): Peer-reviewed analyses and university summaries show PM2.5 increases from uncovered coal trains with modeled health burdens for nearby populations, supporting the idea that what travels in train cars can affect communities along the line.
• Benzene (IARC Volume 120 & ACS): Benzene, present in combustion emissions and some yard activities, is a Group 1 carcinogen linked to leukemia; it provides a mechanistic bridge between rail-adjacent air pollution and blood-cancer concerns raised in traffic-exposure literature.
• Legacy contamination case (Houston, TX): A former creosote wood-preserving site at a rail company yard left soil and groundwater contamination; public health agencies identified cancer clusters nearby, and the city funded relocations, illustrating that historic materials used on railroad ties can create site-specific cancer risks distinct from air exposure.

What This Means for People Living Near Railroad Tracks

For people who live near railroad tracks, the level of cancer risk depends heavily on the type and intensity of rail activity in the area.

A quiet line with only a few passenger trains passing each day does not create the same exposure as a freight corridor where heavy diesel locomotives run at all hours or where idling is common at nearby yards.

Studies from the California Air Resources Board consistently show that neighborhoods closest to large rail yards experience the highest modeled cancer risks, with those risks dropping as distance from the yard increases.

Factors such as train frequency, the use of diesel locomotives, the presence of uncovered or dusty train cars, and even local wind patterns and geography can all influence how much pollution reaches nearby homes.

The pollutants of greatest concern include diesel particulate matter, elemental carbon, nitrogen oxides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and certain metals that result from fuel combustion and rail wear.

In some locations, benzene from diesel fuel and creosote chemicals from historic railroad ties have added to the mix of hazardous substances in surrounding communities.

Because these compounds are recognized as dangerous chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases, prolonged exposure (even at lower doses than those faced by railroad employees) can still create meaningful health risks for civilians who live close to rail operations.

While not every household near a track is frequently exposed at harmful levels, people in communities near rail operations have legitimate reasons to be concerned about their long-term health.

Railroad operations rely on many processes that, while essential for moving goods, can release hazardous substances into the surrounding environment.

The most common concern is the use of diesel fuel in locomotives.

Burning diesel produces diesel emissions that contain fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, benzene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

These compounds are considered dangerous chemicals because of their ability to penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and damage DNA.

The World Health Organization has identified diesel exhaust as a proven cause of lung cancer, and regulators in the United States have linked long-term, prolonged exposure to elevated risks of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well.

Another source of pollutants is the treatment and disposal of railroad ties used in track maintenance.

Historically, many ties were soaked in creosote, a tar-like substance that contains multiple carcinogenic PAHs.

In communities near old yards or along lines where ties were replaced or discarded, creosote residues may have leached into soil and groundwater.

While less visible than exhaust smoke, this form of contamination can persist for decades and create long-term exposure pathways for residents.

Freight itself can also matter.

Some train cars carry coal, petroleum products, or industrial chemicals.

Coal dust from uncovered cars can blow into neighborhoods, adding to fine particle pollution.

Tank cars carrying solvents or fuels may release fumes or spill in accidents, creating acute local hazards.

These risks are less common than daily diesel emissions, but they add another layer of potential exposure for communities near rail operations.

Not everyone who lives near a rail line will experience the same health effects.

The risks exist on a spectrum, influenced by how frequently trains pass, the presence of rail yards, and how much diesel exhaust exposure or other dangerous substances reach nearby homes.

Some residents may only notice temporary respiratory irritation from diesel fumes, while others (especially those with prolonged exposure in heavily trafficked corridors) face a greater chance of serious cancer diagnoses or chronic disease.

Scientific research and regulatory assessments suggest both cancer and non-cancer outcomes may be linked to life near railroad operations.

Potential health conditions associated with railroad-related exposures include:

• Primary lung cancer and increased risk of developing lung cancer, strongly tied to long-term diesel exhaust exposure.
• Bladder cancer, linked in multiple studies to diesel emissions and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
• Kidney cancer, observed in some populations exposed to diesel fumes and occupational pollutants.
• Colon cancer, with evidence suggesting possible association to prolonged diesel and environmental exposures.
• Laryngeal cancer, connected to inhalation of diesel particulates and toxic air contaminants.
• Multiple myeloma, with risk signals in studies involving benzene exposure and similar agents present in rail operations.
• Cancers from asbestos exposure, historically present in some older railroad industry equipment and facilities.
• Chronic non-cancer lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, and general lung disease, aggravated by repeated exposure to diesel fumes and particulates.
• Short-term and long-term respiratory irritation, including coughing, wheezing, and asthma-like symptoms in sensitive populations.

Together, these risks reflect how repeated, low-level contact with diesel exhaust, benzene, and other byproducts of rail activity can accumulate into serious health burdens for communities near railroad tracks and yards.

Possibly, but these cases are highly fact-specific.

Research has shown that diesel exhaust exposure, benzene exposure, and other dangerous substances from rail operations can contribute to cancer risk, yet not every diagnosis can be directly linked to nearby train activity.

Courts generally require proof that the exposures in question played a significant role in causing the illness, which can be complex when community exposures are at lower levels than typical significant exposure faced by railroad workers.

In some instances, litigation has been brought against rail companies for contamination from creosote-treated railroad ties, diesel emissions from yards, or other site-specific hazards.

However, not all communities near rail operations will have the same evidence or medical connections needed to support a case.

These lawsuits often depend on a combination of environmental testing, medical records, and expert testimony that ties the cancer diagnosis to prolonged exposure linked to rail activity.

Because of these hurdles, outcomes vary, and success is never guaranteed.

If you have been diagnosed with cancer and live near active railroad tracks or yards, the most important step is to consult a lawyer with experience in community exposure claims.

An attorney can review your personal circumstances, evaluate available scientific and environmental evidence, and advise you on whether legal action is realistic in your specific situation.

Toxic exposure cases demand attorneys who understand both the science of dangerous chemicals and the laws that govern accountability.

At Gianaris Trial Lawyers, our primary focus is representing railroad workers who have been exposed to toxic substances on the job and later diagnosed with cancer, bringing claims under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) to hold railroad employers responsible.

Our team has deep knowledge of how prolonged workplace exposures, such as diesel exhaust, asbestos, and benzene, affect railroad employees, and we have the trial experience needed to pursue full recovery in these complex cases.

Beyond the railroad industry, Gianaris Trial Lawyers has also successfully represented individuals and entire communities harmed by industrial pollution.

This includes neighbors of oil refineries and other large facilities who faced serious health conditions and property damage linked to industrial emissions.

These cases, like our railroad work, require careful investigation, medical expertise, and relentless advocacy to prove that corporations put profits ahead of people’s safety.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness after exposure to toxic substances at work or in your community, contact Gianaris Trial Lawyers today.

Our team will review your situation, explain your options, and fight to hold the responsible parties accountable.

Call us now for a free consultation and learn how we can help you pursue justice.