Benzene Exposure Lawyer
If You Developed a Disease Due to Benzene Exposure, You May Be Able to File for Compensation
You deserve to feel safe at your job. Many people in dangerous jobs, like factory or refinery work, rely on their employers to institute proper hazard controls and provide personal protective equipment (PPE) when toxic chemicals are used in the workplace. Benzene, which is used to make rubber, dyes, lubricants, gasoline, and many other common goods, is a dangerous substance that should be controlled in this way.
While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides an upper limit on how much benzene can be in the air at workplaces, some employers don’t take the time to test for and limit benzene exposure. At Shrader & Associates L.L.P., our benzene exposure attorneys are available to speak with you if you think you’ve developed a serious medical condition after being unknowingly and/or wrongly exposed to benzene. With years of experience and proven results, we are more than prepared to help you understand your legal options and decide which steps to take next.
Benzene Exposure Risks
Benzene is a clear, highly flammable liquid with a sweet, gassy smell. It is an organic solvent derived from petroleum that is present in solvents, plastics, oil-based paints, degreasers, and gasoline. It evaporates quickly; most exposure to benzene is through inhalation rather than direct contact or ingestion.
Exposure to high levels of benzene can be fatal. However, most people’s exposure to the substance is long-term and at a low grade. While everyone has risks—gasoline, vehicle exhaust, and cigarette smoke all include benzene—workers in certain industries are more likely to suffer serious health effects.
Those who may be affected include workers in:
- Petrochemicals, petroleum refining
- Rubber tire manufacturing
- The steel industry (coke oven workers)
- Shoemaking
- Laboratories
- Gas stations
- Storage or transport of benzene or petroleum products
- Coke and coal chemical manufacturing
- Auto repair shops
- Printing
- Painting
- Firefighting
- Bus garages
If proper ventilation and/or PPE are not available in these workplaces, the amount of benzene employees are continuously exposed to can have serious long-term health effects.
How Benzene Affects Your Health
Once in your body, some benzene makes it into your blood supply, where it does the most harm. By damaging your bone marrow, benzene can cause health problems including:
- Anemia
- Weakened immune system
- Excess bruising/bleeding
- Leukemia
By limiting the bone marrow’s ability to make blood cells and causing harmful mutations, this chemical can, bit by bit, inch those exposed closer to deadly disease.
Cancers Linked with Benzene Exposure
Though the types of cancer linked to benzene are still under investigation, the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded in 2012 that the chemical was carcinogenic. Through animal tests and comparative tests of human cohorts who were exposed long-term or had little exposure, benzene has been linked with:
- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) – AML is a slow-developing and severe disease of the blood and bone marrow. It may co-occur with issues including low counts for red blood cells, white blood cells, and blood platelets. AML is divided into 7 subtypes that describe its origin and the maturity of the cells.
- Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) – MDS encompasses a group of diseases that affect the bone marrow and blood in different ways. Most MDS patients are older than 60. Different subdivisions of MDS include refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS), refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), and myeloproliferative disorder. Various other forms of blood and bone-marrow diseases fall under the MDS category.
- Lymphomas – Lymphomas are cancers that affect the immune system and cells in the lymphatic system of the body. Specific types of Lymphomas include Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL), and various others.
- Aplastic Anemia – This condition affects the blood cells and can also evolve into other forms of blood and bone marrow cancers.
Evidence suggests benzene may also cause multiple myeloma, but more research is needed to confirm the links.
We’re Here to Fight for the Victims of Benzene Exposure
Our team at Shrader & Associates, L.L.P. has helped dozens of cancer patients receive settlements to help with their medical bills and the other challenges facing them after a diagnosis linked to benzene exposure. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be difficult—and we want to help you and your family understand how the law could help you obtain compensation. We work with our clients to review past employment to spot where they may have been exposed to benzene. Then, we gather evidence and build your case.
We understand you need time to care for your health and your family, so Shrader & Associates, L.L.P. goes the extra mile to help. With decades of combined experience, our skilled team is ready to fight for you.