What is silica dust?
You can find crystalline silica in both natural materials like sand, stone, and ballast, and manmade ones such as brick, glass, and concrete. When workers disturb these materials during railroad maintenance or construction, they release fine silica dust that can enter the lungs and cause lasting damage.
What makes silica dust so dangerous?
Silica dust is particularly dangerous because of its microscopic size, chemical properties, and long-term effects on lung health. Here’s why silica dust poses such a severe risk.
Tiny, Inhalable Particles
Silica dust particles are incredibly small—about 100 times smaller than a grain of sand. Their tiny size allows people to easily inhale them and enables them to travel deep into the lungs, where they embed in lung tissue.
Persistent and Non-Biodegradable
Unlike some other particles that the body can break down or expel, silica dust remains in the lungs permanently. Over time, these particles cause scarring (fibrosis), leading to reduced lung function and chronic respiratory diseases.
Inflammation and Scarring
When silica dust enters the lungs, the immune system tries to remove it by sending white blood cells to attack the particles. However, instead of clearing them out, this process triggers chronic inflammation. As a result, (1) scar tissue (fibrosis) forms in the lungs, (2) lung tissue becomes hardened and thickened, making breathing more difficult, and (3) the risk of lung infections, such as tuberculosis, increases.
Cancer Risk
Crystalline silica has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Silica has been proven to cause lung cancer in humans. Prolonged exposure, especially in industrial settings like railroad maintenance, track work, and locomotive sanding, significantly increases the risk of developing lung cancer.
Long Latency Period
Many silica-related diseases do not appear immediately. It can take 10 to 30 years for symptoms of silicosis, lung cancer, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to develop. This delayed onset makes it difficult to diagnose early and often means the disease is advanced by the time symptoms appear.
No Known Cure
Once silica dust has damaged the lungs, the effects are irreversible. Currently, no cure for silicosis exists, and treatment focuses on managing symptoms and slowing disease progression.
How Railroad Workers Face Exposure to Silica Dust
Railroad workers can encounter silica dust in several ways because of the nature of their work and the materials they use in rail operations. Here’s how the exposure typically occurs:
Track Maintenance & Repair
Railroad track maintenance workers are often exposed to high levels of silica dust from track ballast, which can contain up to 50% silica. Tasks such as operating ballast regulators and tampers or dumping ballast along the tracks release large amounts of dust into the air. Workers involved in replacing or grinding ballast are especially at risk, as these activities generate significant clouds of fine, inhalable silica particles.
Locomotive Sanding Systems
Silica is the main component of the sand used to improve traction on rails. Locomotive sanding systems release this sand onto the tracks to help with braking and traction, especially on inclines. While effective, this process generates large amounts of airborne silica dust. As a result, dust clouds frequently engulfed locomotives, exposing engineers, conductors, and crew members in the cabs to hazardous levels of silica.
Poor Housekeeping Practices in Rail Yards
Railroads have often failed to clean up or control silica dust in yards and maintenance areas. Sand used in rail yards for refilling sanding systems often contains high levels of crystalline silica. When workers transfer, dump, or store sand in open piles, they can create dust clouds. Workers nearby—including yard workers, car inspectors, and maintenance crews—may inhale this dust, even if they are not directly handling the sand.
Tunneling and Bridge Work
- Tunnels are typically carved through rock formations like granite, sandstone, or limestone—all of which can contain significant amounts of silica. Activities such as drilling, cutting, blasting, or grinding these rocks release fine silica dust into the air. Construction work in confined spaces often lacks proper ventilation, increasing the risk of inhaling harmful substances.
- Bridge work frequently requires sandblasting to remove rust or paint. This process can generate silica dust either from the blasting material itself or from disturbing the underlying concrete or stone surfaces.
How long have the railroads known silica dust causes lung cancer?
The railroad industry has had access to well-documented information about the dangers of silica dust exposure—and its link to lung cancer—for over 80 years. Here is a timeline of discoveries and awareness.
1930s – Early Evidence of Silicosis and Lung Damage
- 1931: The Hawk’s Nest Tunnel disaster in West Virginia killed hundreds of workers from acute silicosis due to high silica exposure during drilling. This became a major national scandal and turning point.
- 1932: American Association of Railroads (AAR) historical documents show that the AAR was concerned about the hazards of exposure to silica dust.
- 1936: U.S. Department of Labor publishes a bulletin on the dangers of silica dust, marking formal recognition by the federal government.
- 1938: National Silicosis Conference brings together industry and labor to discuss silica hazards; many railroads participated or were aware of outcomes.
1940s–1950s – Early Cancer Warnings
- 1946: Studies began to suggest a potential link between silica and lung cancer.
- 1959: Dr. Wilhelm Hueper of the National Cancer Institute warns that crystalline silica may cause cancer, particularly when combined with other industrial exposures.
1960s – Lung Cancer Connection Becomes Clearer
- 1960: Studies began to confirm an association between long-term exposure to silica and increased lung cancer risk, especially in the presence of silicosis.
- 1965: The International Union Against Cancer recognized crystalline silica as a possible carcinogen, indicating mounting global concern.
1970 – OSHA Established
- 1971: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established and began enforcing workplace exposure limits for respirable crystalline silica—standards that also applied to railroads as employers responsible for worker safety.
- 1974: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended a much lower exposure limit for silica, citing its role in silicosis and suspected link to lung cancer.
1980s–1990s – Carcinogenic Classification
- 1987: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified crystalline silica as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A), based on increasing epidemiological evidence.
- 1997 – IARC reclassified crystalline silica as a Group 1 carcinogen—known to cause cancer in humans.
2000s–Present – Regulatory Reinforcement
- 2003: NIOSH published detailed documentation linking respirable crystalline silica exposure to lung cancer, reinforcing the need for worker protections.
- 2016: OSHA updated its silica standards, significantly lowering the exposure limit and requiring railroads and other employers to monitor air quality, use engineering controls, and provide respiratory protection.
Do you have legal options if you develop a silica-related illness?
If you worked for the railroad and received a diagnosis of silica-related cancer, you may have legal options. Under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), railroad workers who suffer occupational illnesses due to negligence may receive compensation.
To learn whether you may have a FELA cancer claim against the railroad, call Hughes Law Offices today at 312-877-5588, or contact us on our website.
