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Benzene: A Human Carcinogen

Benzene is a volatile aromatic hydrocarbon. Benzene is a commodity chemical used primarily in the production of plastics and other chemical products. Benzene is also a known human carcinogen. Benzene causes various types of leukemia, lymphoma, and blood diseases.

The first case reports of benzene-induced blood diseases date from 1897. The first report of benzene causing leukemia was published in 1928. In 1948 the American Petroleum Institute published a toxicological review of benzene, noting that benzene causes leukemia and that the only safe level of exposure to benzene is ZERO ppm (parts per million). The first epidemiologic study of benzene among Pliofilm rubber workers showing significantly increased risks of leukemia was published in 1977. Since then, many epidemiologic studies of benzene have been done, which establish benzene as a cause of various human hematologic cancers and diseases.

Among the diseases that have been associated in the literature with benzene are acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), hairy cell leukemia (HCL), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), aplastic anemia, pancytopenia, other cytopenias, myelofibrosis, and polycythemia vera.

The greatest risk is to workers who use various petroleum solvents that contain benzene. The use of benzene as a solvent has been banned in the United States for more than twenty 20 years. Nevertheless, workers who use solvents are still exposed to benzene, because there is some benzene in most petroleum solvents. Workers using solvents that contain benzene inhale benzene vapors evaporating from the solvent. Workers using solvents also absorb benzene through their hands from handling solvent rags or and from solvent splashing on their skin.

Epidemiologic studies have shown that workers who use solvents in different trades have increased risks of developing cancer and blood diseases from benzene. Among those at risk are painters, gasoline distribution workers, refinery workers, chemical workers, rubber workers, printers, newspaper pressworkers, and shoe and leather workers. Recent studies have also shown that smoking slightly increases the risk of leukemia, apparently because benzene is a combustion byproduct of cigarette smoke. However, the levels of benzene a smoker inhales are many times less than the levels which workers can be exposed to from benzene-containing solvents.

Recent studies from China and Great Britain establish that benzene can cause various hematologic cancers and blood diseases at extraordinarily low doses -- a few ppmy (part per million years). A part per million year (ppmy) of benzene is a cumulative dose of just 1 ppm.

OSHA's permissible exposure limit for benzene is 1 ppm. Because benzene can still cause harm at this level, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has recommended a threshold limit value of .5 ppm, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set a Recommended Exposure Limit of 0.1 ppm.

These are very small amounts of benzene. Only one cup of benzene evaporated in a football field-size building (300' x 165' x 14') produces a 3.3 ppm vapor level, which is 3.3 times the OSHA standard, 6.6 times the ACGIH standard, and 33 times the NIOSH standard!!!

If you get a blood cancer or blood disease after working with solvents for years or even a few months, benzene is the likely culprit. You will need a good hematologist and an attorney.

Blood diseases and cancers can be deadly. Medical treatment typically consists of chemotherapy drugs, and, in for certain acute diseases and cancers, bone marrow transplantation.

A competent workers' compensation attorney can obtain medical and disability payments for workers injured by benzene-containing solvents. A competent attorney who litigates toxic injury claims can sue the manufacturers of the solvents and often obtain compensation for your injuries, including punitive damages. An experienced attorney can obtain six and even seven figure results for clients suffering blood diseases and cancer from benzene-containing solvents.

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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.