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How Can Locomotive Engineers Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Locomotive engineers drive locomotives that are powered by electricity, gas-turbine-electric power, steam or diesel-electric power in order to transport people or goods. They drive long-distance trains and commuter trains. They must be aware of potential dangers related to the travel and the freight they carry.
Locomotive engineers may have been exposed to asbestos when they traveled through the passenger cars, which were often constructed with floor and ceiling tiles made of asbestos. The walls of passenger cars and boiler and engine rooms were insulated with asbestos. Additionally, brake components contained asbestos. As these materials deteriorated, locomotive engineers could breathe in toxic asbestos fibers.
Common job duties of locomotive engineers include:
- Interpret train orders
- Read electronic or manual train signals
- Monitor speed, battery use, air pressure and other instruments to ensure that the train runs smoothly
- Use a variety of controls like throttles and airbrakes to operate trains
- Monitor the track for obstructions
- Commute with dispatchers to get information about delays or changes in train schedules
- Comply with railroad rules and regulations
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Locomotive Engineers
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 34,850 locomotive engineers currently employed in the United States. States with the highest employment rates for locomotive engineers include:
- Ohio
- Texas
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Pennsylvania
Similar Occupations as Locomotive Engineers
Similar occupations as locomotive engineers include:
- Bus drivers
- Conductors
- Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers
- Hand laborers and material movers
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Material moving machine operators
- Quality control inspectors
- Water transportation workers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Locomotive Engineers and Mesothelioma
There have been several lawsuits brought by people in the railroad industry due to asbestos exposure. In 2003, six former railroad employees from Norfolk & Western Railway Co. who developed asbestosis received $4.9 million in 2003. The court found that the company negligently exposed the workers to asbestos throughout their careers but especially when they worked with asbestos insulation. Each of them received between $770,000 and $1.2 million in damages, depending on the severity and duration of exposure.
The widow of a former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company received $235,000 in 1984. in a court verdict after her husband died from routine asbestos exposure that occurred when he removed asbestos insulation from pipes and equipment.
Unless the locomotive engineer worked for a railroad company that did not cross state lines, locomotive engineers are not generally able to make a claim under the workers’ compensation system. Instead, they can avail themselves of the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, which requires a worker to show they were injured within the course and scope of their job and that their employer was negligent. Other options for recovery include filing a product liability or asbestos trust claim.
Studies Related to Asbestos and Locomotive Engineers
There are a few studies that have noted the connection between asbestos exposure and the railroad industry. “Past exposure to asbestos among active railroad workers” was a study in which researchers compared the health risks of railroad workers who worked on different types of trains. Researchers analyzed 514 railroad workers and found 21% of the workers who were 50 years old or older had likely exposure to asbestos even though their exposure was usually only for a limited amount of time.
Another study found that lung cancer cases were more than three times more likely among operating railroad workers including locomotive engineers than nonoperating workers. Similarly, a 2015 study conducted on Belgian railroad workers found that railroad workers were more than three times more likely to die of mesothelioma, compared to rates of the general population.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Locomotive Engineers
Locomotive engineers may have come in contact with a variety of products that contained asbestos, such as:
- Brake pads and clutch plates
- Electrical and mechanical components
- Fireproofing materials in engine compartments
- Gaskets, pumps and valves
- Insulation
- Packing and cement supplies
- Pipe covering
- Plaster
- Sealants
- Soundproofing materials
- Wallboard
Manufacturers of Products Used by Locomotive Engineers
Railroad companies often purchased asbestos-containing products while other companies manufactured asbestos products that locomotive engineers and other railroad workers used. These companies include:
- Aberdeen
- Amtrak
- P. Green
- Armstrong Cork
- Asbestos Manufacturing Co.
- Asbestos Textile Co.
- Bendix
- Birmingham Southern Railroad Company
- BNSF Railway Co.
- Carolina & Western Railway Co., Inc.
- CertainTeed Products
- Celotex
- Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company
- Conrail
- CSX Transportation
- Eagle-Picher
- Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad Co.
- Eternit
- Federal Mogual
- Flintkote Co.
- GAF Corp.
- Georgia Pacific
- Gatke Corp.
- Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
- Harbison-Walker
- K. Porter, Inc.
- Illinois Central Industries Inc.
- Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd
- Johns Manville
- Kansas City Southern Railway Company
- Keasbey & Mattison’s Bell Asbestos Mines
- Metro-North Commuter Railroad Co.
- National Gypsum
- Norfolk Southern/Norfolk and Western
- Owen-Corning Fiberglas Corp.
- Rapid American/Philip Carey Manufacturing Corp.
- Raybestos-Manhattan
- Seminole Gulf Railway LP, Transtar Inc.
- Vermont Asbestos Corp.
