AsbestosAsbestos Industry
Who is at Risk?Railroad Workers
History and Background
The railroad has been one of the major advances that helped America expand across the entire continent. In the past century it has slowly been surpassed by air travel and interstate highways yet it is still an integral part of America's economy, transporting resources and passengers.
Until the 1950s most trains were powered through the steam engine, which creates as a byproduct an incredible amount of heat and energy. In an effort to insulate and protect against this heat, the trains and engines were constructed and insulated with asbestos, a natural mineral that is very strong as well as heat and fire-resistant. During the 1950s the steam engine was slowly replaced by diesel trains. Asbestos was still used on these new trains until the mid 1970s when the dangers associated with exposure became known. Relatively unknown until that time, exposure to asbestos dust can cause harmful pulmonary diseases as discussed below.
Tasks Putting Railroad Workers at Risk for Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos was widely used on and around trains from the early part of the twentieth century on into the 1960s and 1970s. Its main function was as a form of insulation, or lagging that was attached to the steam engine boilers, fireboxes, and piping systems (one example of high-temperature pipe insulation that contained asbestos is 'Johns-Manville Therma-Wrap'). It was also used to insulate boxcars and cabooses and was a covering for wallboards in order to protect them from heat and fire. Asbestos was also combined with other products to create sealing cement and gaskets that were used to seal pipe joints and valves. Even cloth packing and rope could contain asbestos. Floor tiles were also made with asbestos, as were brake linings and clutches as it made these products heat resistant and extremely strong.
All men and women who worked around steam locomotives or in roundhouses, backshops or repair facilities could have been exposed to asbestos dust in the air. This was due to the fact that the asbestos insulation would have to be cut and stretched in order to be put in place, the process of which would get microscopic dust particles in the air. Often the gaskets and cement used to seal joints would need to be sanded or grinded down, again putting dangerous dust in the air.
Maintenance men and inspectors were also exposed because when the locomotives were inspected, the insulation was removed and then re-applied creating a hazardous dust-filled environment. Even if a worker did not work directly on or with asbestos products they are still at risk because the dust would be everywhere.
Railroad Workers At Risk for Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos Diseases
By the mid 1970s, strong evidence was uncovered regarding the health dangers associated with prolonged exposure to asbestos. Many who had worked with asbestos for extended periods of time were coming down with pulmonary diseases (such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis) from breathing asbestos dust.
The asbestos related diseases include:
- Mesothelioma: a type of cancer only caused by asbestos exposure that attacks the lining around the lungs and/or heart and/or abdomen. This cancer is not in the organs themselves, though untreated it will spread. The most common form is pleural mesothelioma (lung lining), then peritoneal mesothelioma (stomach lining), and then pericardial mesothelioma (heart lining).
- Asbestos Related Lung Cancer: while lung cancer can come from numerous sources, asbestos exposure can lead to the formation of a malignant tumor that blocks the air passages (common for smokers who were exposed to asbestos).
- Asbestosis: a pulmonary condition, only caused by exposure to asbestos, where scar tissue builds up in the lungs causing breathing problems and low blood flow.
The diseases associated with asbestos are similar in that their symptoms often do not appear for many years after exposure. It is not uncommon for someone to develop lung cancer after a 10 year lag between onset and initial exposure. Asbestosis and mesothelioma often do not become apparent for nearly 30 or 40 years after the initial exposure to asbestos. Common symptoms include: difficulty breathing, chest pains, and a dry hacking cough that sometimes contained blood. These diseases are usually fatal.
The health problems associated with asbestos were not just isolated to people who worked with the product. The asbestos dust would spread easily through the air putting workers who never used it at risk. Also, many family members were at risk as well because workers would return home with the dust on their clothes, shoes and even hair.
