Benzene Side Effects

Exposure has been linked to serious life threatening Benzene side Effects. Benzene is known as a human carcinogenic that causes various forms of leukemia, a cancer of the blood forming organs that originates in the bone marrow. Leukemia results in uncontrolled growth of marrow cells. Two major classifications of leukemia exist, Myelogenous or Lymphocytic that can be either acute or chronic.

One of the most common types of leukemia, Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is a blood cancer that develops in specific types of white blood cells that are used by the body to fight off infection. When AML develops, white blood cells are not able to grow properly, are not able to grow beyond a certain point early in development and therefore can’t differentiate into functional types of white cells.

Many AML patients end up becoming anemic and infections are more likely because there is not enough disease fighting white blood cells.AML 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. Treatment can vary from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplant, and biological therapy.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia is a malignant form of cancer that develops in the white blood cells. Acute lymphocytic 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.

Chronic 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 all of the leukemia cells that are distinctive.