Mesothelioma Lawyer
The Railroad and Asbestos
Asbestos has managed to infect nearly every industry, whether it is housing, ships, commercial buildings, or automobiles. Asbestos was also present in the railroad industry in a variety of ways. It was heavily used in the construction of locomotives as well as in the construction of cars for passengers and cargo. In addition, asbestos was a common passenger on the train while it was going from the mines to wherever it was going to be processed. Because of the prevalence of asbestos in the railways, numerous employees of the railway industry have developed asbestos-related diseases.
There have been countless stories of railway porters unloading cargo trains full of asbestos. Asbestos was transported in sacks and looks like cotton wool. Unfortunately, during transport the bags were known to split and while being moved would exhale dust and debris onto the porters and into their lungs.
Finished asbestos products have also been transported over the rails. These finished products include:
- Asbestos pipes
- Sheeting
- Insulation
- Ceiling tiles
- Insulation boards
- Rope
- Brake linings
In addition to the dangers of unloading the asbestos, the individual cars also were filled with asbestos. In any place where the cars and engines were constructed, repaired, maintained, and refurbished, the workers could have been exposed to asbestos.
Any railway construction or maintenance worker that worked on cars or engines built between the 1930s and the 1970s could have been exposed to asbestos. Early, asbestos was used to insulate boilers, mains and gaskets and later to insulate entire cars.
Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney
If you were employed by the railroads and worked on containing cars or with asbestos cargo, contact the mesothelioma attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-781-3955.
