What is Medical Causation?
Medical causation asks a simple question: Did workplace exposure on the railroad play a role in causing the worker’s cancer? Courts and doctors break the answer to this question down into two steps:
- General Causation – “Can this type of exposure cause this disease?”
- Specific Causation – “Did this person’s exposure cause their disease?”
In simple terms, this is how railroad cancer claims are proven in court.
What is General Causation?
The question of whether there is General Causation is simply asking “is this type of exposure known to increase the risk of this type of cancer?”
General causation does not focus on the individual worker. Instead, it focuses on scientific and medical research involving groups of people to determine if there is any link between the type of exposure the worker is subject to and their condition.
How General Causation is Proven
To prove a link between exposure and cancer in a railroad cancer claim, doctors and experts rely on a wide variety of information, such as epidemiological studies, occupational health research, cancer registry data, and information from government and international health agencies.
Experts compare cancer rates of exposed workers versus non-exposed workers. If the exposed group has higher cancer rates, that supports general causation.
Matching the Exposure to the Disease
In a FELA cancer lawsuit, you cannot simply say that “railroad work causes cancer.” Instead, you are required to show that this type of specific railroad exposure causes this type of specific cancer. Examples:
- Exposure to diesel exhaust is known to cause lung cancer.
- Exposure to benzene in solvents is known to cause leukemia
- Exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma.
- Exposure to silica is known to cause lung cancer
- Exposure to secondhand smoke is known to cause lung cancer.
If a form of exposure is not known in the scientific and medical community to cause the disease, the FELA cancer claim fails.
Matching the Worker’s Exposure to the Studies
Railroads will often argue that “those studies don’t apply to our workers,” claiming that the specific circumstances of those studies are not applicable to the situations their workers are in.
To refute these claims, experts must show that the types of exposure in the studies match those at the railroads. This includes showing:
- The type of exposure (diesel exhaust, asbestos, silica)
- The duration of exposure (months, years, decades)
- The conditions of the exposure (enclosed or open spaces, ventilated or poorly ventilated)
- The dose of exposure compared to study subjects
Railroad workers are exposed daily, for decades, often in enclosed locomotive cabs, tunnels, poorly ventilated shops, and railroad yards. This often leads to railroad workers’ exposures being equal to or greater than those documented in the studies.
Common General Causation Evidence in Railroad Cancer Lawsuits
The World Health Organization (WHO), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), National Toxicology Program (NTP), and decades of occupational studies all recognize that diesel exhaust, asbestos, silica, and secondhand smoke are known human carcinogens.
What General Causation DOES NOT Decide
General Causation only shows that there is a link between a type of exposure and a cancer. It DOES NOT answer:
- Whether this railroad caused a specific worker’s cancer
- How much exposure a specific worker had
- Whether other causes played a role in developing their disease
These questions are addressed by Specific Causation, which we discuss in detail in our next blog in this series.
Proving General Causation in Your Railroad Cancer Claim
Establishing general causation is the essential first step in holding a railroad accountable for workplace illnesses. To succeed under FELA, you must show that scientific consensus recognizes a link between your specific exposure and your diagnosis. Anchoring your claim in medical research creates the foundation necessary to prove the railroad’s liability.
Don’t let the railroad dismiss your illness as a coincidence. Our attorneys can help you gather the expert evidence needed to prove general causation and fight for your rights. Contact us today for a free, confidential case evaluation.
