Railroad Lawsuit - Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Railroad workers are exposed to a range of carcinogenic substances including diesel exhaust fumes, welding fumes, and chemical solvents. This can lead to many illnesses like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
A lawyer who specializes in railroad cancer can help you determine if your cancer is caused by exposure at work, and can help you claim compensation for medical expenses and discomfort and pain.
Benzene
Benzene is one of the most commonly used chemical compounds. It is a clear, colorless yellow liquid with a sweet scent that evaporates quickly into the atmosphere. It is used in dyes, degreasers and solvents, pesticides, plastics, lubricants and resins. It is also found in crude oil. Long-term exposure to benzene can harm the bone marrow, cause leukemia and other blood-related cancers. It can also cause convulsions, changes to heartbeat and liver diseases, and can reduce a person's fertility.
Exposure to benzene in railroad workers can increase the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other types of cancer, including acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic Syndrome, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic disorders. This is particularly true of those who worked around or on locomotives in the railroad shop in which they were exposed to diesel exhaust. Exposure to coal tar, which is used as a wood preserver is also a risk of exposure to benzene.
The personal representative of an BNSF employee who died from leukemia filed 27 lawsuits, eight in 2018. The plaintiff worked for the railway company for many years. She was employed for 33 years as a hostler in the yard in Alliance, Nebraska. She was exposed to diesel exhaust and other toxic chemicals when working on cars, locomotives and rail ties. She also worked with benzene based chemicals such as Liquid Wrench as an agent for breaking bolts.
Glyphosate
Glyphosate is a popular herbicide employed by railroad workers to kill weeds and other plants along the tracks and around train stations. However, lawsuits against union pacific railroad to this chemical is hazardous and can cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as other serious health issues. If you have been exposed to glyphosate and have developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL), a railroad injury lawyer can assist you to seek compensation from the company who harmed you.
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified glyphosate as a possible carcinogen. The chemical works by targeting a protein in plants called shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). This blocks EPSPS from producing its own natural product, which is a building block of proteins. The glyphosate then binds to the EPSPS, which then breaks its structure. It also stops EPSPS from performing normal functions, which could lead to cell death.
In the short-term, glyphosate may have negative effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritation and eye irritation. In extreme instances, exposure to glyphosate can lead to death. The herbicide is widely used on a range of crops, including corn, soybeans oilseeds, grains, certain vegetables and fruits. Rainwater and surface runoff may also contain glyphosate. Because of its widespread use, small quantities of glyphosate are often consumed by consumers.
Asbestos
Railroad workers are exposed many dangerous substances, including diesel fumes, benzene asbestos, coal dust, silica, and creosote. Carcinogens can cause lung cancer, cancer of the lungs and other health problems. Federal law allows retired, former and current rail employees to sue their employers when they're diagnosed with medical conditions linked to their work-related exposures.
Asbestos played a major role in the railroad industry for many years and many railroad workers were affected by exposure to this toxic material. An asbestos exposure attorney for railroads can review your medical records as well as workplace records to determine if your condition was mesothelioma, or another illness because of work-related asbestos exposure.
A conductor on the train filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over Hodgkin lymphoma, claiming that Norfolk Southern did not protect him from exposure to harmful chemicals. The lawsuit alleges that Norfolk Southern infringed FELA regulations by not removing asbestos and other harmful materials and failing to monitor worker exposure to hazardous chemical.
The lawsuit states that the job of a train conductor was handling and operating equipment used by railroads. The lawsuit further claims that railroads used weedkillers in order to keep right-of-way spaces in order, which exposed workers to the herbicide glyphosate, which is toxic and known to cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, among other illnesses. A jury handed the plaintiff a million dollars in compensation.
Secondhand Smoke
A few railroad employees have been diagnosed as having cancer and other chronic illnesses due to the toxic chemicals they were exposed to every day. Under FELA railroad workers who suffer from cancer or other ailments caused by exposure to carcinogenic substances can pursue lawsuits against their former employers.
A man from Pennsylvania, who worked as a railroad employee and filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania against his former employers, claiming that his kidneys were cancerous as the result of being exposed to carcinogens for a period of nearly 40 years. He claimed that he was exposed asbestos, vinyl chloride, and other dangerous substances on a daily basis as a railroad worker for several companies in the Philadelphia region.
Another railroad worker filed a lawsuit alleging that his job as a railroad worker was a contributing factor to lung cancer and other serious diseases. He worked for CSX Transportation, Inc., for 20 years, and was exposed every day to toxic substances like diesel exhaust and secondhand smoke. He also handled railroad ties which were coated with a chemical called creosote.
Despite the dangers of secondhand smoke had been widely known for years, some railroads resisted implementing smoking bans on locomotive cabs. Exposure to secondhand smoke has been linked with a range of cancers and other serious health issues, such as bronchitis, asthma, and lung and heart disease.