Railroad Lawsuit - Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Railroad workers can be exposed to a range of carcinogenic compounds, including diesel exhaust fumes, welding fumes, and chemical solvents. This can lead to various illnesses including non-Hodgkin's lupus.
A lawyer who specializes in railroad cancer can help you determine if your cancer is caused by exposure at work, and can help you seek reimbursement for medical expenses as well as discomfort and pain.
Benzene
Benzene is among the world's most common chemical compounds. It is a white, colorless yellow liquid with a sweet odor that evaporates quickly into the air. It is used as a dye degreaser, solvent, pesticide plastics, lubricant and resins. It is also present in crude oil. Long-term exposure to benzene can harm the bone marrow, and trigger leukemia as well as other blood-related cancers. It can also trigger convulsions and changes to heartbeat and liver disease, as well as decrease a person's fertility.
Railroad workers are at elevated risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome and multiple myeloma as a result of their exposure to benzene. This is particularly true of those who worked around or on locomotives in the shop of railroads in which they were exposed to diesel exhaust. People who were exposed to coal tar creosote, a wood preservative, could be at risk of exposure to benzene as well.
The personal representative of the BNSF worker who died of leukemia has filed 27 lawsuits against the company, eight of them in the year 2018. The plaintiff's experience with the railroad company spanned back decades. She was hostler at a yard in Alliance, Nebraska for 33 years. 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 like Liquid Wrench as a solvent to break bolts.
Glyphosate
Glyphosate is an herbicide commonly employed by railroad workers to kill weeds as well as other plants on the tracks and around train stations. Exposure to this chemical can cause non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and other serious health problems. If you've been exposed to glyphosate, and then developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL), a railroad injury lawyer can help you seek compensation from the company who harmed you.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization has classified glyphosate a probable cancerous substance. The chemical works by targeting a protein in plants called shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). This stops EPSPS from generating its own natural product which is the building block of proteins. The glyphosate then binds to EPSPS and breaks its structure. It also stops the EPSPS from performing its normal functions, which can lead to cell death.
In the short term, glyphosate may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and skin irritation. In extreme cases, exposure may cause death. The herbicide is extensively used on a broad range of crops, including cereal grains, soybeans and corn. Rainwater and surface runoff can also contain glyphosate. Due to its widespread use, small amounts of glyphosate are frequently ingested by consumers.
Asbestos
Railroad workers are exposed an array of hazardous substances, including diesel fumes, benzene, asbestos, coal dust, silica and creosote. These carcinogens can cause cancer, lung disease and other health issues. Federal law permits current, former and retiree rail employees to sue their employers when they're diagnosed with medical conditions that are related to their work-related exposures.
Asbestos played an important role in the railroad industry for decades and many railroad workers suffered from exposure to this hazardous material. A railroad asbestos exposure attorney could review your medical and work records to determine if your condition was mesothelioma or any other illness due to on-the-job asbestos exposure.
A conductor of a train filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over Hodgkin lymphoma, alleging the company failed to protect him from exposure to toxic chemicals. The lawsuit claims that the railroad company violated FELA safety rules by failing to remove asbestos and other harmful substances and also not ensuring that workers are exposed to dangerous chemicals.
The lawsuit states that the duties of a conductor on trains included managing and operating railroad equipment. The suit also asserts that railroads used weedkillers to maintain right-of way spaces and exposed workers glyphosate - a toxic herbicide known to cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma along with other illnesses. A jury handed the plaintiff a million dollars of compensation.
Secondhand Smoke
Several railroad workers have been diagnosed with cancer and other chronic illnesses due to the toxic chemicals they were exposed to every day. Railroad employees who suffer from cancer or other illnesses due to exposure to carcinogenic substances can file lawsuits under FELA against their former employers.
For union pacific railroad lawsuit , a man from Pennsylvania who was railroad workers filed an action against his former employer alleging that he developed kidney cancer due to being exposed to carcinogens for nearly 40 years. He claimed that he was constantly exposed to vinylchloride, asbestos, and other harmful substances while working for different railroad companies in the Philadelphia region.
Another railroad worker filed a lawsuit claiming that his job as a railroad worker caused lung cancer and other serious conditions. He worked for CSX Transportation, Inc., for 20 years, and was exposed daily to toxins like diesel exhaust and secondhand smoke. He also handled railroad ties which were coated with a chemical known as creosote.
Despite the risks of secondhand smoke were widely known for years, some railroads were slow to enact smoking bans in the cabs of locomotives. Smoking secondhand has been linked to a variety of cancers and serious health conditions like asthma and bronchitis.