What Every Railroad Worker and the Public Should Know About Diesel Exhaust Fumes, Lung Disease and Lung Cancer and a message from Ren.

There is a growing body of evidence that long-term railroad worker exposure to diesel exhaust fumes can lead to a condition called “diesel asthma,” a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and additional evidence shows an increased incidence of lung cancer rates among railroad employees. Railroad worker injury claims against their employer-railroads fall under a federal act called the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, or FELA.

Diesel exhaust, also called diesel smoke or diesel fumes is a chemical mixture containing literally hundreds of compounds such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, and many other compounds that can cause cancer. Many of these individual particulates are known carcinogens, and have been known cancer-causing agents for over 30 years.

In the railroad industry, diesel fuel runs nearly all locomotives, and has since the 1960s. When the diesel fuel is combusted, the chemicals change. They are changed into a gaseous state, and they are carried through the air by what are known as particulates. Particulates are the part of diesel exhaust fumes and diesel smoke that can be seen. But some particulates are so small that they cannot be seen and some of these get into the tiniest part of the lung tissue, deep in the lungs. Some of these dangerous chemicals can damage, inflame and destroy lung tissue. Also, the irritation over time can cause “hypersensitivity” disorders.