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How Can a Locomotive Firer Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Locomotive firers monitor tracks and train instruments. They are often part of a train crew. There are not many trains today that use locomotive firers due to advanced technology and automation or locomotive engineers or conductors performing the tasks that locomotive firers previously performed. However, individuals who previously worked int his profession may have been exposed to asbestos.
Railroad cars and other railroad equipment were often manufactured with asbestos during the 20th century. Locomotive firers could have breathed in toxic asbestos fibers when inspecting the rails and railroad equipment. Additionally, they may have been exposed to asbestos fibers that were released from cargo that the rail cars were transporting.
Common job duties of locomotive firers include the following:
- Monitor locomotive instruments and tracks
- Look for dragging equipment, obstacles on rights-of-way and train signals during the run
- Look for obstructions on the track and other potential safety hazards
- Watch for and relay traffic signals from yard workers to yard engineers
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Locomotive Firers
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 560 locomotive firers currently employed in the United States. Alabama is the top-paying state for this profession.
Similar Occupations as Locomotive Firers
Similar occupations as locomotive firers include:
- Air traffic controllers
- Conductors
- Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers
- Hand laborers and material movers
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Material moving machine operators
- Railroad inspectors
- Railroad workers
- Railyard workers
- Water transportation workers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Locomotive Firers and Mesothelioma
Because of the low number of locomotive firers, there are no known public cases that have been brought by these workers in the last two decades. However, there have been several cases brought by workers in the railroad industry. For example, six former railroad workers from Norfolk & Western Railway Co. sued it after they developed asbestosis form working with asbestos insulation. The company was found negligent and ordered to pay $4.9 million, which was split between the former employees based on the duration and intensity of their exposure to asbestos.
In 1984, the widow of a railroad worker received a verdict of $235,000 against Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company after her husband died from lung difficulties caused to his asbestos exposure that occurred when he removed insulation from pipes and equipment.
In 1997, a pipefitter for Metro-North Commuter Railroad co. was exposed to asbestos on a daily basis as he removed asbestos insulation from pipes. He brought a suit under FELA for emotional distress and future medical checkups after learning about asbestos awareness. He was awarded $34,200.
Studies Related to Asbestos and Locomotive Firers
Numerous studies have explored the connection between railroad work and asbestos exposure. “Past exposure to asbestos among active railroad workers” 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 short in duration.
Another study found that lung cancer cases were more than three times more likely among operating railroad workers including locomotive firers than nonoperating workers. A 2015 study conducted on Belgian railroad workers found that railroad workers were more than three times more likely to die of mesothelioma than members of the general population.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Locomotive Firers
Locomotive firers may have been exposed to a variety of products that were used to construct or repair trains or cars or the cargo that they carried, such as:
- Boiler linings and firebox housing casings
- Brake pads and brake linings
- Cement and cement ties
- Clutches and clutch plates
- Fireproofing materials in engine rooms
- Floor and ceiling tiles
- Gaskets, valves and pumps
- Hoses for hydraulic and steam supply lines
- Insulation used to wrap boilers, in the engine, in boxcars, pipe covering,, electrical panels, train body and other locations throughout the train and stationary buildings
- Packing and rope
- Paint
- Plaster
- Roofing products
- Sealants
- Soundproofing materials in engines and passenger cars
- Wallboard
Manufacturers of Products Used by Locomotive Firers
Railroad companies that used asbestos-containing products that locomotive firers may have been exposed to include:
- Aberdeen
- Allied Signal Corporation
- 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-Mogul
- Ferodo
- Flintkote Co.
- GAF Corporation
- 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
- Owen-Corning Fiberglas Corp.
- Rapid American
- Raybestos-Manhattan
- Seminole Gulf Railway LP
- Watco Transportation Services, Inc.
