BENZENE LAWSUITS

What is Benzene?

Benzene is a colorless, highly flammable chemical. It is among the top 20 chemicals used in the United States by volume. Benzene is widely used in the production of other chemicals for plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides, and is also found in crude oil and gasoline.

What is Happening with Benzene?

Benzene is listed as a known carcinogen by numerous science and health agencies including the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the National Toxicology program (as part of the National Institute of Health), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Studies have found increased rates of leukemia and other blood cancers in individuals exposed to high levels of benzene. The National Cancer Institute has stated that there may be no safe level of exposure to benzene.

Individuals and workers with prolonged exposure to benzene have filed lawsuits against industrial employers and the manufacturers of products that contain excessive levels of benzene. Exposure to benzene is linked to industrial processes, such as disposal of contaminated products, petroleum spills, factory output, burning fuel, and gasoline and vehicle emissions. Exposure can also occur by breathing contaminated air from cigarette smoke or drinking water from polluted underground storage tanks. The production of consumer goods, including rubber and chemicals, also contributes to the release of large quantities of benzene into the environment. Individuals who work in certain industries with a high degrees of benzene exposure or who reside in close proximity to these workplaces (such as gas stations and factories) have an elevated risk of serious health conditions, including cancer.

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/benzene

https://www.who.int/ipcs/features/benzene.pdf

CDC: Facts About Benzene

Benzene Side Effects and Complications

Long-term exposure to benzene can result in the following complications:

• Leukemia, especially acute myeloid leukemia;
• Blood-related cancers, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma;
• Myelodysplastic Syndrome / Myelodyplasia (MDS)
• Anemia;
• Excessive bleeding;
• Reproductive damage;
• Destruction of bone marrow; and
• Death.

Benzene Lawyers are Ready to Help

Litigation over cancers caused by benzene exposure has progressed as more people have become aware of the dangers of this chemical and the various exposure sources. Many cases have resulted in high-profile payouts for victims and their families.

Some of the largest recent benzene exposure jury verdicts and settlements include:

• In June 2023, a California jury awarded a $63 million jury verdict to a man who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma after his home was built directly over a toxic chemical pit near Santa Barabara. The jury found that the oil giant Chevron, which owned the Union Oil Company of California that operated a sump pit for oil and gas production at the location, concealed the toxic pit containing benzene when the man purchased the land to build his home in 1985.
• In March 2019, a jury in Contra Costa, California awarded $21.4 million to the families of two brothers who died from cancer (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia) caused by their exposure to benzene. The verdict was returned against Union Oil, which manufactured the benzene-containing rubber solvent the brothers routinely used in their employment at a manufacturing plant.
• In September 2018, a worker who developed chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) due to his repeated exposure to benzene and solvents in his work at an industrial plant obtained a $4.5 million settlement from the chemical manufacturers and his employer.
• In October 2015, a Dallas jury awarded an $8.2 million jury verdict to a Texas man diagnosed with leukemia caused by his exposure to benzene contained in paints and thinners manufactured by E.I. Du Pont De Nemours. The man handled toxic products daily between 1973 and 1996 while working as a painter for a semi-trailer manufacturer and Continental Airlines.