Early diagnosis in cancer is critical to minimize organ damage and save the patient’s life. Research has shown that timely detection of different types of cancers, including breast cancer, skin cancer, and testicular cancer substantially improved the survival rates. Nine out of 10 patients whose cancer diagnosis occurs at stage one survive for 10 years…
In 1998, a panel of experts convened by the California Air Resources Board concluded that regularly breathing in diesel engine exhaust at work raises a worker’s risk for asthma, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This was true even after factoring in the effects of smoking by employees. The findings should not have…
“Air on Board Diesel Trains Is Five Times Worse Than Beside a Busy Street.” That headline for an April 4, 2019, Chemistry World article would surely grab the attention of railroad engineers, conductors, trackmen and others who work on and around freight trains. But is breathing in diesel exhaust really all that harmful? Yes. On…
U.S. railroads were among the leading users of asbestos insulation and brake components throughout the 20th century. The toxic, cancer-causing material could still be found on trains and in rail yards well into the 2000s because federal rules aimed at ending nearly all industrial and commercial uses of asbestos were issued with loopholes that allowed…
You hear all the time that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. The proverb comes from the observation of poet Alexander Pope that “a little learning is a dangerous thing.” Both versions of the adage describe the harm done to generations of railroad workers who knew how asbestos was being used at their worksites…