Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and coal tar creosote exposure in a railroad worker

Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jan;113(1):96-7. doi: 10.1289/ehp.7373.

Abstract

A 50-year-old male railroad worker presented to his primary care physician with an erythematous, tender skin lesion on the right knee; a biopsy of this lesion revealed squamous cell carcinoma in situ. The site of the lesion was sun-protected but had been associated with 30 years of creosote-soaked clothing. In this article, we review dermal and other malignancies associated with creosote, along with creosote occupational exposures and exposure limits. This is a unique case, given the lack of other, potentially confounding, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and the sun-protected location of the lesion.

MeSH terms

  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / etiology*
  • Clothing
  • Coal Tar / chemistry*
  • Creosote / poisoning*
  • Humans
  • Keratolytic Agents / chemistry*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Exposure*
  • Railroads
  • Skin Neoplasms / etiology*

Substances

  • Keratolytic Agents
  • Coal Tar
  • Creosote