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Benzene Health ProblemsBenzene is classified as a human carcinogen, linking the chemical to rare cases of leukemia and cancer to those exposed to it. Leukemia is a cancer of the blood forming organs that originates in the bone marrow and results in uncontrolled growth of marrow cells. Two major classifications of leukemia exist, myelogenous or lymphocytic that can be either acute or chronic depending on their onset. Exposure to benzene has been linked to leukemia as early as the 1920s, and Greenburg published one of the most meaningful studies in 1926 showing approximate correlations of environmental benzene concentrations and chronic benzene poisoning. In the 1940s, the American Petroleum Institute noted exposure to benzene resulting in leukemia. Workers exposed to benzene at risk for developing leukemia was later published in an extensive epidemiologic study in 1977. Currently, OSHA standards have set a permissible exposure limit of 1ppm in the workplace during an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek. Despite these standards, it has been shown that exposure to benzene at even this level can result in serious health conditions. The NIH has found that there are more than 80,000 leukemia or lymphoma deaths in the U.S. every year.
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Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Acute Myelogenous LeukemiaAcute myelogenous leukemia is one of the most common types of leukemia in adults, affecting more than 10,000 adults that are diagnosed every year in the U.S. This type of leukemia is a blood cancer that develops in specific types of white blood cells that are used by the body to fight off infection. The white blood cells affected are called granulocytes and monocytes that are created from stem cells that have the ability to develop into different kinds of blood cells. Acute myelogenous leukemia develops and white blood cells are not able to grow properly. The cells are not able to grow beyond a certain point early in development and cannot differentiate into functional types of white cells because of this. Why this occurs is not understood. Many acute myelogenous leukemia patients end up becoming anemic because the leukemia cells keep the production of healthy cells due to the lack of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Infections are more likely with acute myelogenous leukemia because there is not enough disease fighting white blood cells. Acute myelogenous leukemia is often difficult to diagnose. Symptoms of the disease are very similar to flu or other common diseases, like fever, weakness, tiredness, or aches in bones or joints. Recovering from acute myelogenous leukemia depends on many different factors. Since there is no staging for acute myelogenous leukemia choosing the type of treatment can vary from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplant, and biological therapy. For more information regarding your exposure to benzene, please contact us. Acute Lymphocytic LeukemiaAcute lymphocytic leukemia is a malignant form of cancer that develops in the white blood cells, or lymphocytes. Acute lymphocyctic leukemia is rare but has been the result of exposure to solvents containing benzene. The lymphocytes that are created from special stem cells can grow into different types of blood cells to perform specialized immune system functions, but when acute lymphocytic leukemia is present white blood cells do not grow properly. Although some experts question the relationship of benzene to acute lymphocyctic leukemia, there is a decent amount of information showing that benzene can in fact result in acute lymphocytic leukemia. It has been shown that this type of leukemia accounts for about 10% of all benzene induced leukemia. Without treatment acute lymphocytic leukemia quickly progresses to a life-threatening condition. For more information regarding your exposure to benzene, please contact us. Chronic Myelogenous LeukemiaChronic myelogenous leukemia affects the myeloid cells in the blood. Most patients with this form of leukemia can be effectively treated with drugs, but a cure is not considered possible with just drug treatment. Almost all of the patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia have abnormal chromosomes in most or al of the leukemia cells that are distinctive. For more information regarding your exposure to benzene, please contact us. Aplastic AnemiaThe cause and effect relationship, according to the NIOSH, between benzene and aplastic anemia has been firmly established. Aplastic anemia is a disease of the bone marrow, the organ that produces the body's blood cells and has been associated to the exposure to benzene. There are approximately 2,000 people in the U.S. diagnosed each year with aplastic anemia. Symptoms of aplastic anemia include, fatigue, bruising, infections, and weakness. The symptoms of aplastic anemia appear very similar to those associated to leukemia, but it is not a form of cancer. Aplastic anemia causes the bone marrow to stop producing, or produces too few red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Oxygen can no longer reach organs and tissues throughout the body, and a decrease in white blood cells cause an increased disability to fight off infection. Aplastic anemia affects between two to six people per million worldwide. For more information regarding your exposure to benzene, please contact us. Myelodysplastic SyndromeMyelodysplastic syndrome refers to a group of disorders in which the bone marrow overproduces cells, but they do not mature normally. Most patients with MDS are anemic, and many have low platelet counts and low numbers of infection fighting white blood cells (neutrophils). While MDS is a chronic disease, it evolves over time to AML in many patients. The only curative therapy for MDS is allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The standard treatment for MDS is supportive care: transfusions and antibiotics as needed. Statistics from 1999 estimated that there are 13,000 new cases of myelodysplastic syndrome every year. Other Benzene Related Illnesses:
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