Benzene: Toxic chemical leaves legacy of blood cancers.
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Benzene: Toxic chemical leaves legacy of blood cancers.
Benzene is among the twenty chemicals used most in American industrial applications. At times, benzene has a sweet smell, and at others, it has no odor at all. In a liquid form at room temperature, benzene has a light yellow color. In its gaseous form, benzene may appear like a colorless fog. Benzene is highly flammable.
Benzene is found naturally in crude oil. As a result, many refined petroleum products contain benzene, including gasoline, other fuels, solvents, paint and glue. In addition, benzene is widely used in the manufacture of many substances and products, such as plastics, rubbers, resins, lubricants, dyes, detergents, pesticides, and more.
Since the 1920s, medical experts have been publicizing the relationship between benzene and leukemia. By the 1930s, workers exposed to benzene in the printing industry were known to be at risk for blood disease. In the 1940s, an American Petroleum Institute study cautioned that no “safe” level of benzene exposure exists. Yet still, in the decades since then, untold numbers of workers have been exposed in the workplace to dangerous levels of benzene.
Those at the greatest risk for benzene-related illnesses are workers exposed every day to the benzene contained in fuels, solvents and other products. Workers likely to have experienced prolonged exposure include chemical and petroleum industry workers, printers, painters, mechanics, railroad workers, rubber workers, seamen and many others.
Most workers exposed to benzene inhale the dangerous toxin. But workers can also suffer significant exposure when they get solvents or fuels on their hands. Benzene is particularly dangerous because it can take years from the time workers are exposed before they develop any symptoms of benzene-related blood cancers.
Benzene exposure causes a great number of health problems. When exposure is sudden and acute, it can cause anything from drowsiness to death. But when benzene exposure is chronic at lower levels, it more often leads over time to the development of blood-related illnesses. Two conditions that have been most closely linked to the toxic substance are acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome.
Benzene-Related Acute Myeloid (or Myelogenous) Leukemia (AML)
Acute myeloid leukemia attacks bone tissue involved in the formation of blood cells.
AML Symptoms
In the early stages, AML’s symptoms are similar to flu symptoms:
AML progresses quickly if not treated, so if you are experiencing these symptoms and you’ve had benzene exposure, get in touch with your doctor as soon as possible.
AML Diagnosis
Your doctor will conduct several tests to learn the cause of your symptoms:
If the doctor diagnoses AML, you will likely see a specialist — an oncologist, who treats cancer patients, or a hematologist, who treats blood-related diseases — who will decide upon treatment options.
AML Treatment
AML treatment depends on the type of disease and the extent to which it has progressed as well as your age and overall health. For most people, treatment involves two phases:
For some patients, doctors recommend participation in an AML clinical trial studying an alternative, experimental therapy instead of the traditional AML treatment.
Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of blood conditions involving a problem in the bone marrow, causing it to make dysfunctional or immature blood cells that either die before they ever leave the bone marrow or soon after they enter the bloodstream.
MDS Symptoms
MDS symptoms, which usually appear only at the later stages of the disease, include:
MDS Diagnosis
Tests that confirm the presence of MDS commonly include some or all of the following:
MDS Treatments
Doctors are still working on a cure for myelodysplastic syndromes. Treatments to manage MDS symptoms and complications include:
For three decades, the lawyers at Waters Kraus & Paul have been representing people who have been sickened by toxic chemicals. If you (or a loved one) have been exposed to benzene and diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome, contact us or call 800.226.9880 to speak with an experienced benzene lawyer today.
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