The dangers of asbestos were well known and thoroughly documented. By the 1930s, medical literature had established a clear link between asbestos exposure and serious, often fatal lung disease. By the 1940s, industrial hygiene standards for controlling hazardous dusts, like asbestos, were firmly established.
These standards included a recognized hierarchy of controls:
- Eliminating hazardous materials where possible
- Containing hazards at their source
- Modifying work practices to reduce exposure
- Using respiratory protection only as a last resort
National organizations such as The National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOSH), the National Safety Council, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines issued guidance recommending ventilation and dust-suppression systems to protect workers from airborne asbestos. Within the railroad industry, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) identified asbestos as a toxic dust hazard and emphasized the need for dust control to protect railroad workers.¹
Despite this knowledge, railroads continued using asbestos in brake shoes, insulation, gaskets, and locomotive components for decades. Railroad workers performed daily tasks in asbestos-contaminated environments—often without warnings, protection, or training.
The railroads knew the risks. They had the tools to prevent exposure. They chose not to act.
What Is Asbestos and Why Was It Used on Railroads?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber once valued for its heat resistance and durability. For much of the 20th century, asbestos was widely used throughout the railroad industry.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asbestos becomes dangerous when disturbed—cut, worn, sanded, or broken—releasing microscopic fibers that remain airborne and can be inhaled deep into the lungs.² Once inhaled, asbestos fibers lodge in lung tissue and cause progressive, irreversible damage over decades.
Who Faced the Highest Risk of Railroad Asbestos Exposure?
Railroad asbestos exposure affected many job classifications, but some workers faced an especially high risk.
Locomotive Shop Workers and Car Department Employees
Locomotive Shop workers, like machinists, pipefitters, and electricians, along with Car Department Workers, experienced some of the highest asbestos exposure levels. Their work included handling asbestos insulation, replacing COBRA brakes, replacing gaskets, and maintaining older locomotives that released asbestos fibers during routine servicing. Some of the railroad shop interiors were constructed of asbestos transite paneling.
Track Department
Did you ever use asbestos rope soaked in diesel fuel and lit on fire in order to heat rail? Did you use asbestos molds around rail welds? Track Department employees also experienced asbestos exposures. Bridges & Buildings (“B&B”) workers installed and replaced asbestos-containing bridge pads. B&B workers demolished buildings without breathing protection. They even used paint that had asbestos in it.
Locomotive Engineers
Locomotive engineers spent long shifts inside cabs containing asbestos-wrapped pipes. Brake dust from their own locomotives and surrounding yard operations infiltrated poorly sealed cabs. Even air-conditioned units were never airtight. New locomotives coming into service still contained asbestos parts well into the 1980s.
Switchmen and Brakemen
Switchmen and brakemen were heavily exposed to asbestos-containing brake dust during switching operations. They stood next to locomotives, rode “point,” and worked inches from active braking systems—a primary source of airborne asbestos dust.
Hostlers
Hostlers moved locomotives within rail yards, performing frequent starts, stops, and braking. These actions generated asbestos brake dust that entered locomotive cabs and surrounding work areas, making exposure constant and unavoidable. Hostlers also spent a lot of time working in Locomotive Shops where asbestos was being disturbed by the work of the machinists, pipefitters, and electricians.
Diseases Linked to Railroad Asbestos Exposure
Diseases linked to railroad asbestos exposure include:
Symptoms often do not appear for 30–50 years after exposure. This long latency period makes prevention critical and highlights the lasting consequences of railroad negligence.
What Railroads Knew about Asbestos Risks
The railroad industry’s knowledge of asbestos hazards dates back decades:
- 1933: AAR medical officers recommended water suppression, ventilation, and respirators to prevent dust-related lung disease.3 At the same time, the U.S. Public Health Service—whose Surgeon General took part in railroad industry meetings—was fully equipped to measure airborne hazards and provide informed guidance on controlling dangerous workplace exposures.
- 1935: Railroads explicitly recognized asbestos as a cause of asbestosis. Other industries—including shipbuilding, construction, and manufacturing—had already implemented ventilation systems, wet methods, and respiratory protection programs to reduce asbestos exposure.
- 1958: AAR meetings linked asbestos exposure to cancer.
- 1977–1980: NIOSH and The Occupational Health Administration (OSHA) declared asbestos a carcinogen and confirmed no safe level of exposure.
- 1986: OSHA stated asbestos exposure had caused more clearly demonstrated harm than any other toxic substance.4
By 1980, there was no doubt: asbestos exposure was deadly. Railroads continued using it anyway.
What Railroads Should Have Done to Prevent Asbestos Exposure
Engineering Controls
Engineering controls are the most effective way of protecting workers. Railroads could have:
- Replace asbestos with safer alternatives
- Install ventilation and local exhaust systems
- Require wet methods during brake and insulation work
- Use HEPA vacuums instead of dry sweeping
- Enclose high-exposure tasks under negative pressure
Administrative Controls
Administrative controls modify how work is performed to reduce exposure. Railroads could have:
- Prohibit dry sweeping and compressed air cleaning
- Establish asbestos-safe work procedures
- Provide showers and changing rooms to prevent take-home exposure
- Implement medical surveillance and monitoring
- Clearly label asbestos-containing materials
Respiratory Protection and Training
When engineering and administrative controls cannot adequately reduce exposure, employers must provide:
- NIOSH-approved respirators
- Conduct fit testing and medical evaluations
- Train workers on asbestos hazards and decontamination
Workers were rarely warned. Most were never trained.
The Regulatory Framework and Railroad Failures
In railroad shops, OSHA is responsible for ensuring safe working conditions. Even before specific asbestos regulations existed, OSHA’s General Duty Clause required employers to protect workers from recognized hazards likely to cause serious injury or death, including asbestos.5
Many protective measures could have been implemented quickly and inexpensively. Using wet methods, installing ventilation, providing respirators, prohibiting dry sweeping, and warning workers about asbestos hazards were straightforward interventions that would have substantially improved worker safety without significantly affecting operations.
The railroads had the knowledge. They had the legal obligation. They simply chose not to act.
Your Legal Rights Under FELA
Railroad workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or asbestos-related disease may have legal claims under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA).
Railroad negligence may include:
- Using asbestos when safer materials were available
- Failing to ventilate shops and locomotives
- Allowing dry sweeping of asbestos dust
- Failing to warn or train workers
- Not providing respirators or hygiene facilities
Contact Hughes Law Offices – Railroad Asbestos Lawyers
If you or a loved one worked for a railroad and developed an asbestos-related illness, you may be entitled to compensation.
Hughes Law Offices represents railroad workers nationwide in asbestos and toxic exposure cases.
📞 Call 312-877-5588 for a free consultation with an experienced railroad asbestos attorney.
- https://cdn.toxicdocs.org/5k/5krbrb60JwK2pzVwEQvEgJjpV/5krbrb60JwK2pzVwEQvEgJjpV.pdf
- https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/learn-about-asbestos#asbestos
- https://www.osha.gov/enforcement/directives/csp-01-01-026
- https://cdn.toxicdocs.org/5k/5krbrb60JwK2pzVwEQvEgJjpV/5krbrb60JwK2pzVwEQvEgJjpV.pdf
- https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/oshact/section5-duties
