Past exposure to asbestos among active railroad workers

Our plain-English summary of Past exposure to asbestos among active railroad workers, by E. Garshick, M.B. Schenker, S.R. Woskie, et al (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1987).

The study

• Authors: E. Garshick, M.B. Schenker, S.R. Woskie, F.E. Speizer
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 1987;12(4):399-406
• Cited by: 10 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 000969).

Abstract

Before the transition from steam- to diesel-powered locomotives during the 1950s certain railroad workers had the opportunity for significant occupational exposure to asbestos. Past studies have demonstrated that older workers with jobs associated with the repair of steam locomotives had the most exposure. To determine the prevalence of currently employed railroad workers with past asbestos exposure we surveyed 514 white male employees of an active US railroad by mail questionnaire. Twenty-one percent (50/242) of the workers 50 years old or greater had likely asbestos exposure compared to 3% (9/275) of the workers 49 years old or less (p less than .001). Fifteen (30%) of the 50 older workers with likely asbestos exposure had current job titles no longer suggestive of past exposure. The duration of exposure of these older active workers was short, (median = 3 years; range, 6 months to 15 years). A history of past asbestos exposure may still be obtained among active railroad workers with past railroad shop employment.

In plain English

This mail questionnaire survey covered employees of one active US railroad. It was done in September 1982 as part of a larger study of lung cancer and diesel exhaust. The questions asked about work around steam boiler repair or boiler and car insulation, without using the word 'asbestos'. Of 659 white male employees, 517 responded. Among responders aged 50 or more, 20.7% (50 of 242) reported likely past asbestos exposure, compared with 3.3% (9 of 275) of those aged 49 or less (p less than .001). Of the 50 older workers with likely exposure, 47 gave a duration. Their exposure lasted from 6 months to 15 years, with a median of 3 years. Fifteen of the 50 (30%) now held job titles that did not suggest past exposure. The authors concluded that relying only on current job titles can misclassify past asbestos exposure. They noted that the survey covered a single railroad, that other insulation materials may have been used, and that the questions could miss exposure that was not 'regular'.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Cross-sectional survey by mailed questionnaire, carried out as part of a larger study of lung cancer and diesel exhaust exposure in railroad workers
• Who was studied: The questionnaire went to 680 employees of one active US railroad in September 1982. After 19 females and 2 nonwhite males were excluded, 659 white males remained. Of these, 517 responded (78.5%): 242 aged 50 or more and 275 aged 49 or less.
• Exposure: Likely past asbestos exposure was defined as answering yes to at least one of three questions. The questions asked about work in repair shops where steam boilers were repaired, regular work around steam locomotives in boiler repair areas, or regular replacement or removal of insulation from boilers, boiler piping or passenger cars. No fiber type is named. The word 'asbestos' was deliberately left out of the questionnaire.
• Main results:
  • Among responders aged 50 or more, 20.7% (50 of 242) reported likely asbestos exposure, compared with 3.3% of responders aged 49 or less (9 of 275), p less than .001.
  • The age difference held in all current job groups. It was statistically significant only for current diesel repair shop personnel, car shop workers, hostlers and foremen. In that group, 34.5% of workers aged 50 or more reported exposure (of 55), compared with 2.6% of younger workers (of 76).
  • Among workers aged 50 or more, 46 of the 50 with likely asbestos exposure (92%) had 30 or more years of railroad service. This compared with 130 of the 192 without reported exposure (68%), p less than .001.
  • Of the 50 older workers reporting potential exposure, 23 (46%) had past job titles linked to the steam engine repair shop.
  • Among the older exposed workers, the duration of asbestos-related work was available for 47 of the 50. It ranged from 6 months to 15 years, with a median of 3 years.
  • Of the 50 older exposed workers, 14 (28%) said yes to the question about regular repair of boiler and car insulation.
  • Of the 50 older exposed workers, 15 (30%) had current job titles that did not suggest past asbestos exposure.
  • The 9 younger workers reporting exposure were aged 25 to 48. The authors judged their exposure more likely to have come from repairing stationary boilers and steam pipes than from locomotive repair.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the survey shows how much misclassification of past asbestos exposure is possible when a study of an occupational group relies only on current job titles.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Other insulation materials could have been used, especially in car repair and on pipes. This means asbestos exposure prevalence could be overestimated, particularly in the younger group.
  • Exposure may have occurred in work locations the questionnaire did not ask about.
  • The word 'regular' in the questions could have led to underestimation, because significant but less-than-regular exposure would be missed.
  • The study covered a single railroad, whose jobs and work practices may have differed from other railroads.
  • The intensity of exposure likely varied considerably, and the reported duration was short.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Railroads.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Exposure, Asbestos Exposure.

Related studies

• A case-control study of lung cancer and diesel exhaust exposure in railroad workers — E. Garshick, M.B. Schenker, et al. (1987)
• A retrospective cohort study of lung cancer and diesel exhaust exposure in railroad workers — E. Garshick, M.B. Schenker, et al. (1988)
• Asbestos-related disease in railroad workers. A cross-sectional study — L.C. Oliver, E.A. Eisen, et al. (1985)
• Railroad workers with pleural plaques: I. Spirometric and nitrogen washout investigation on smoking and nonsmoking asbestos-exposed workers — U. Hjortsberg, P. Orbaek, et al. (1988)
• Roentgenographic evidence of asbestos exposure in a select population of railroad workers — M.J. Sepulveda, J.A. Merchant (1983)
• Railroad workers with pleural plaques: II. Small airway dysfunction among asbestos-exposed workers — U. Hjortsberg, P. Orbaek, et al. (1988)

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