Category Archives: Cancer

Diesel Fumes and Lung Cancer

Diesel Fumes Cause Lung Cancer

Today’s post comes from guest author Leonard Jernigan from The Jernigan Law Firm.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. It’s greater than breast and colon cancer in women and greater than prostate, colon, pancreatic and liver cancer in men. If diagnosed early there is a 70-80% survival rate for 5 years, and a low-dose CT scan of the chest can detect 60-70% of lung cancers at an early stage. Unfortunately, there has been no significant progress in the treatment of lung cancer in 40 years and between 10,000–20,000 occupational lung cancer deaths occur each year in the United States.

One area of concern is the relationship between diesel exhaust exposure and lung cancer. In June of 2012 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans, and studies of underground miners support that statement and also indicate that others who are around diesel fumes may be at an increased risk. Toxic chemicals in diesel gas are nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, benzene, PAHS (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), aldehydes and nitro-PAHS.

Railroad workers, miners, truck drivers, bus operators, longshoremen and others who have been heavily exposed to diesel fumes are obviously at greater risk than those with less exposures, but even minimal exposures may cause harm. In urban areas, like lower Manhattan, there is concern that diesel exposures may be a public health hazard and detection systems have been placed in areas to collect exposure data. As for workers who have experienced intense, short-term duration to diesel fumes, a chemical called 1-hydroxypyrene may be elevated in urine, but the test for this marker is not performed by most commercial laboratories. The Mount Sinai – Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine is studying diesel exposure and may be a good resource for future information, as well as the National Clean Diesel Campaign: www.epa.gov/diesel.

Prior results do not guarantee outcomes.
Attorney Advertising.

Should Genetic Medical Information Be Given to Workers’ Compensation Insurance Companies?

Federal law provides that employers with 15 or more employees cannot discriminate against employees because of genetic information.

Today’s post comes from guest author Leonard Jernigan from The Jernigan Law Firm.

Under a 2009 Federal law called GINA (the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act), employers with 15 or more employees cannot discriminate against employees because of genetic information. That information may include a past or present medical history (for example: breast cancer, diabetes, depression, or colon cancer) of family members.  GINA prohibits disclosure of this sensitive information by employers and prohibits the employer from even making a request for such information. If they have this information, it must be kept in a file that is separate from the regular personnel file.

The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) has made regulations, effective January 10, 2011, to enforce this federal statute and allows an action for damages, including punitive damages, reinstatment and back pay, and reasonable attorney’s fees.

In the workers’ compensation setting, this information is sometimes gathered by medical experts conducting independent medical exams, by nurse case managers who may seek to find out any and all medical information about the injured worker’s family as well as the injured worker, or by family physicians who have made non-work-related entries in the medical records.  However, GINA has allowed an exception to the overall thrust of the legislation by stating that if the information is relevant to the workers’ compensation claim, it can be disclosed. The legislation gives no definition of the term “relevant” and makes the interaction between the health care provider, the carrier, the employer and the employee complicated, to say the least. Lawyers who represent employees and employers should be aware of GINA and protect sensitive genetic information from disclosure, and claimants should make sure their physician is aware of it as well.

 

 

Prior results do not guarantee outcomes.
Attorney Advertising.