Environmental Benzene Exposure

Benzene is a substance that can be produced by both natural and man-made means. Most commonly seen in its liquid form, benzene is a colorless, sweet smelling chemical that has the potential to cause serious adverse complication in individuals that are exposed to it for very long or in high concentrations. Benzene can be found numerous places in the environment and governmental agencies have regulated the amounts of benzene that can be present in any given area before the area is determined to be harmful to humans. When individuals are exposed to high concentrations of benzene, benzene poisoning can result causing headaches, dizziness, tremors, and unconsciousness. Long term exposure to elevated levels of benzene has been found to affect the blood and bone marrow, causing anemia and a wide range of cancers.

Benzene can occur naturally in the environment if there are a great deal of carbon based materials that have burned but have not burned completely. This incomplete combustion results in the material releasing a large amount of benzene into the air. This can most commonly be seen in areas consumed in forest fires and in the areas around volcanoes where large amounts of carbon rich materials are burning for a long period of time. Naturally occurring benzene is released from soil, water, and incompletely combusted substances into the air where it is broken down quickly by other chemicals. Benzene does not build up in plants or animals and is quickly metabolized in the body of a human. Tests to detect benzene exposure must be conducted soon after the suspected exposure or the benzene will have already been metabolized by the body.

Benzene can also be released into the environment from less natural sources, including cigarette smoke, gasoline emissions, automobile exhaust, and automobile service stations. The combustion of gasoline within a vehicle adds a large amount of benzene to the environment, with the highest concentrations occurring around filling stations. Areas that experience high amounts of vehicle traffic also will have a higher than average concentration of benzene in the air. Because benzene vapor is heavier than air, the vapor tends to accumulate lower to the ground rather than rising into the sky. Cigarette smoke is considered a major contributor to benzene in the air. Experts estimate that cigarette smoke is responsible for close to half of all benzene exposures in the United States, making smoking and secondhand cigarette smoke a large source of benzene in the environment.

Industrial processes are considered the largest source of benzene contamination in the environment. Benzene is released into the air as a byproduct of many industrial activities and carelessness on the part of the manufacturer can lead to soil and water contaminated by benzene as well. Factories that produce gasoline, rubber, adhesives, synthetic fibers, or dyes can release a large amount of benzene into the air on a daily basis. When benzene is used as an industrial solvent, the workers must be careful to ensure that the solvent does not contaminate ground water and soil when being disposed of. Experts estimate that there are over 100,000 sites of industrial benzene contamination in the United States alone.

Do I have a Benzene Lawsuit?

The Toxic Tort Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus exclusively on the representation of plaintiffs in Benzene lawsuits. We are handling individual and group litigation nationwide and currently accepting new Benzene cases in all 50 states.

If you or a loved one have been exposed to Benzene and developed a form of leukemia or other blood related disease, you should contact us immediately. You may be entitled to compensation and we can help.