Asbestos used as insulation and a fire retardant in a variety of building construction materials can also be found in products ranging to crayons to brake pads. Once considered safe enough to use in any environment, people realized decades ago that airborne asbestos fibers can become lodged in the lungs and cause various health problems including asbestosis and lung cancer.
Another horrible disease caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure is mesothelioma, which the EPA defines as “a rare form of cancer that is found in the thin lining (membrane) of the lung, chest, abdomen, and heart.” Recently, a new type of treatment, called radiosurgery, has shown promising results in helping treat mesothelioma victims. It allows a doctor to pinpoint very small tumors for radiation treatment and appears to have few adverse effects. That’s the good news. The bad news is that mesothelioma remains a progressive, incurable disease.
If the asbestos remains in good condition and is not disturbed, it may still be safe, but the material rarely remains where it is placed.
One group greatly affected by mesothelioma caused by asbestos is railroad workers. Engineers, conductors, carmen and even clerical workers can contract this deadly disease. This is possible because asbestos has been used in train brake parts, as insulation inside and outside steam locomotive cabs and boilers, in caboose ceilings and stove pipes, on gaskets and radios used in diesel locomotives, and in roundhouses and railroad yard offices. All employees of railroads large and small — including CSX, Norfolk Southern and Amtrak — have most likely been exposed to asbestos at some point in their careers.
To learn more about asbestos and mesothelioma affecting railroad workers, please read the following articles:
The experienced railroad mesothelioma attorneys with Shapiro & Appleton& Duffan have helped numerous Virginia (VA) rail employees obtain compensation for suffering work-related cancer. If you believe you have been infected by asbestos while working on a train or in a railroad yard, please contact a Virginia FELA attorney to review the facts and take any legal action necessary to financially protect yourself and your family.
MH