Safety-Kleen Proposition 65 Case
Safety-Kleen Parts Washer Solvent: an Unrecognized Toxic Hazard
For almost thirty years, Safety-Kleen Corporation has provided a parts washer service to automotive and industrial customers throughout the country. The company leases customers a parts washing machine, which is a sink on a drum with a pump which circulates solvent through a hose. A service representative periodically delivers recycled solvent called "Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent," and collects the used solvent, which is recycled and delivered to other customers.
While recycling organic solvents may be beneficial to the environment, the parts washer machine and the recycled solvent present substantial health hazards to exposed workers. Indeed, operating the machine produces aerosols of the solvent which are inhaled by workers and which splash on their arms, face and chest while they degrease and clean metal parts.
One of the workers who operated a Safety-Kleen parts washer machine and was exposed to Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent was James Junker. Junker developed leukemia in the late 1980s, which he claimed was caused by benzene in the solvent in a suit against the company. Although Safety-Kleen denied there was benzene in its solvent, it settled the case by paying more than $2.5 million to the Junkers. As a condition of the settlement, the Junkers and their attorney had to agree to maintain the settlement in strict confidence and agreed to seal the court case file.
The Toxic Injuries Corporation, a California public benefit corporation devoted to the identification and prevention of toxic injuries, recently was successful in unsealing most of the case file, so the public could become aware of the hazard concealed by Safety-Kleen . However, much information developed in the case remains unknown by the public, because Safety-Kleen required the Junkers' doctors and experts to destroy their files as part of the settlement!!!
Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent not only contains benzene, but also contains chlorinated solvents, chlorinated benzenes, and other very toxic chemicals. Apparently, many contaminants are not removed by the company's recycling process and concentrate in the recycled product.
A number of cases have been brought and are presently pending against the company for causing various cancers, liver damage, kidney disease, pulmonary disease, neurologic disorders, and dermatitis. The Law Offices of Raphael Metzger is presently suing Safety-Kleen on behalf of a worker who operated a Safety-Kleen parts washer machine using Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent daily for about 7 years and developed acute myelogenous leukemia -- the most aggressive form of leukemia and the type of leukemia that has most clearly been causally related to benzene exposure. The firm is also representing two workers who worked in automotive rebuild shops and have suffered kidney failure from the solvent. The leukemia victim received a peripheral stem cell transplant (a type of bone marrow transplant) following chemotherapy; the kidney failure victims have both undergone kidney transplantation, following dialysis treatments.
If you operate a Safety-Kleen parts washer machine and become ill, be aware that your illness may be related to your exposure to Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent. Do not be misled by the name "Safety-Kleen." The company's parts washer solvent is neither "safe" nor "kleen!"
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If you have questions about benzene poisoning or blood disorder symptoms and are concerned about possible occupational diseases and cancers, we are here to help. Toxic tort and injury laws are complex and confusing. The Metzger Law Group is here to help you. Call us today for a FREE evaluation to find out if you have a case or fill out our free evaluation forms to consult with a member of our caring staff.
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