Benzene Lawsuit & News Blog

Benzene

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 09:05:29 -0500

Benzene, a colorless or sometimes yellow liquid when at room temperature, is highly flammable, will dissolve in water, has a sweet odor, evaporates quickly into the air, and is produced both by natural processes, but also by human activities. Through natural sources, Benzene can come from volcanoes and forest fires, is a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and surprisingly, tobacco smoke. Yet, when produced through human activities, Benzene can be found to be released into the air through motor vehicle exhaust, burning coal and oil, and at gasoline stations. Benzene is all manufactured to be used in some industrial applications such as the production of other dyes, detergents, and some plastics. Most recently, Benzene has even been discovered to be used in soft drinks and other beverages.

When individuals that work in industries that may use Benzene, or even those that manufacture it, are not properly protect through the use of adequate safety equipment or other precautionary measures then these workers may become exposed to high level of Benzene. Overexposure to Benzene has become apparent in the presence of the human body by being detected through measuring the levels in breath, blood or the breakdown of the products found in urine. Some of the signs related to breathing in high levels of Benzene exposure can include, drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, tremors, rapid heart rate, confusion, and unconsciousness. Should overexposure to Benzene be ingested, the result may be vomiting, dizziness, stomach irritation, drowsiness, rapid heart rate, and convulsions. Extremely consumption of Benzene through breathing or other methods can even lead to death.

A major effect of Benzene that is the result of long term exposure can be found in the blood. Anemia has been known to be caused by Benzene's harmful aftermath on bone marrow which causing a decrease in red blood cells. Benzene also may have an adverse effect with excessive bleeding, along with an increased chance of infection that may be brought about due to Benzene's consequence on the immune system. For women, overexposure to unreasonable levels of Benzene have been found to impair fertility.

Benzene has been found dangerous by the US Department of Health and Human Services, as well as, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. These agencies have found Benzene to be a carcinogen which translates to cancer causing. One type of cancer caused by long term exposure to Benzene include leukemia, or more specifically, Acute Myelogenous Leukemia.

OSHA has recommend ways to protect against Benzene exposure by encouraging the limit of evaporation and preventing spills and splashes. Should work in the industry be done where Benzene is made or used, then there should be hoods, canopies, and proper ventilation systems in place, and personal protective equipment should be worn. It is also highly recommended to limit the amount of contact to gasoline, and more importantly, cigarette smoke especially around children.

Even with all the recommendations on how to be protected from the overexposure to Benzene being made, there are still risk associate with being exposed to high levels of Benzene. Click here to find out more information and to request a consultation.

Are you the victim of work related toxic exposure? Do you need a PA lawyer?

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:13:50 -0500

Toxic exposure is a silent but deadly killer. Have you been exposed to chemicals or toxic substances at work? Has your employer tried to deny your claims? An honest day's work deserves better. Contact the Pennsylvania law firm of Anapol Schwartz to find out what your legal options with a free consultation. Or call toll-free - 1-866-735-2792. We can help.

Clean Water: Reality or Myth for Small Texas Town

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:56:50 -0500

Since the United States is not a third world country, its citizens automatically assume that clean water is as American as apple pie…in a perfect world - maybe.

That is -- unless you live in a small town in Texas called Bethany. For more than four years the persistent residents have been going through a bureaucratic nightmare all in the name of having clean water to drink.

Contamination from an abandoned saltwater well injection disposal site was affirmed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) who will pay to have a main water line installed.

Letters detailing complaints on the well site date back to 1996. It wasn't until 2003 that the EPA deemed groundwater along the road unsafe to drink after high levels of hazardous chemicals such as barium, mercury, and arsenic, showed up in various samplings. The EPA started providing bottled water at no charge in August 2005 and will continue to do so until clean water is flowing.

The residents filed a civil lawsuit against Basic Energy Services, the last user of the disposal site known as the former R.B. Mitchell lease that was shut down in early 2005. The lawsuit was settled out of court in June 2006.

Then an assessment petition was filed with the EPA, requesting the agency conduct a preliminary assessment of the groundwater contamination. A multitude of water samples taken by a number of agencies over the years from the private water wells, natural springs, and the host of monitoring wells spread across the neighborhood resulting in a laundry list of contaminants being detected.

At this point you have to wonder how much testing do they need to determine that water is too contaminated to drink?

Finally, samples were studied by labs across the country without bias. This was important because the findings determined that the private water wells only tested positive for fecal bacteria. The natural springs and monitoring wells were contaminated with metals and radioactive materials that exceeded levels considered safe for drinking water such as benzene by-products of oil and gas production.

The Railroad Commission of Texas, an oil regulatory agency, keeps saying that the water is not contaminated. The residents feel that the RC is not doing their job and needs overseeing. In the community, several families have ingested the contaminated waste water for years and have cancer. A federal lawsuit has been filed claiming the Railroad Commission violated the community's civil rights by denying clean drinking water while having full knowledge of the violations.

This waste is mostly oily saltwater used in drilling. The waste contains substances such as sludge from storage pits and tank bottoms, used glycol, amine, and hydrogen sulfide scrubber liquid. There are at least 26 acknowledged chemicals in the waste, including such known carcinogens as benzene and one category listed as - other. Oddly enough, oil and gasoline are not categorized as hazardous waste.

Public Safety at Risk: What happens when the regulation of food, water, and soft drinks fall through the cracks of governmental agencies?

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:53:23 -0500

It's not a given that the food, soft drinks, and water that you drink is safe for consumption. How can that be when food safety is purportedly monitored and regulated by multiple government agencies?

Actually - all that monitoring by multiple government agencies - creates the problems of food, water, and soft drinks and putting the public at risk.

Currently there are varied consumer groups trying to change what goes into a can or bottle of soft drinks or soda pop. Benzene forms when there a particular combination of ingredients - ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or erythorbic acid in combination with benzoate salt (sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate) especially when exposed to heat and light. One has to wonder how hot the storage area of trucks get when transporting soft drinks to warm states especially during the summer months or how hot is considered heat. Are bottles of soda exposed to light? There seems to be too many variables as to what is heat and what is light. And then again, how would a consumer know that benzene has bubbled in their can of soda?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says there is no safe level of benzene ingestion. However, levels of benzene have been found to exceed the 5 ppb (parts per billion) which is the drinking water standard. On the other hand, the FDA has set benzene standards for drinking water but not beverages and food. So, while the EPA says no amounts of benzene are safe and the FDA hasn't even considered putting benzene in its food and beverage radar - the great divide become greater.

In May 2006, the American Beverage Association posted on its website that: "Several beverage companies have been named in benzene civil class action lawsuits in a number of states." These complaints have been filed despite the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) repeated statements that it has found no public health risk from the trace amounts of benzene found in a very limited number of beverage brands.

The FDA has closely reviewed beverages for the presence of benzene in soft drinks several times in the past and each time has found no public health issue. As recently as May 19 2006, FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) stated, "The results of CFSAN's 2005/2006 survey indicate that the levels of benzene found in soft drinks and other beverages to date do not pose a safety concern for consumers."

Soft drinks are safe, including the few products that show small amounts of benzene.

Benzene is ubiquitous to the environment. It is in the air we breathe and the foods we eat. People are exposed to more benzene from breathing the air, or eating a banana than from consuming a soft drink.

Given statements from the FDA and other international regulatory bodies finding that benzene is not a public health concern, it is difficult to understand the basis for these lawsuits."

Let's hope that consumer litigation brings a clear light to the problem and soda companies act accordingly.

Small Town In Texas Has Ground Water Problem.

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 14:54:38 -0500

While we take clean water for granted, in some towns in Texas contamination of ground water is a big problem. Since the United States is not a third world country, its citizens automatically assume that clean water is as American as apple pie…in a perfect world - maybe (Read More)

Clean Water: Reality or Myth: Since the United States is not a third world country, its citizens automatically assume that clean water is as American as apple pie…in a perfect world - maybe.

That is -- unless you live in some parts of Texas -- where clean water is about as clean and clear as a mirage. It seems that abandoned oil field waste has impeded their ability to have clean and safe water for almost a decade. A bureaucratic battle ensued but and finally the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) confirmed that groundwater in the area was contaminated and will pay to install a main water line.

Rather than governmental agencies on the state and national levels who are better suited to handle these kinds of problems - the residents of these small towns of DeBerry and Bethany have had to fight city hall and beyond for clean water, a substance that most of us take for granted.

Food, water, and soft drinks safety fall through cracks of governmental agencies

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 14:39:16 -0500

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/06/19/EDGGTP3GE81.DTL
It's not a given that the food, soft drinks, and water that you drink is safe for consumption. How can that be when food safety is purportedly monitored and regulated by multiple government agencies?

Actually - all that monitoring by multiple government agencies - creates the problems of food, water, and soft drinks and putting the public at risk.

Let's hope that consumer litigation brings a clear light to the problem and soda companies act accordingly. Although some soda drink companies have already voluntarily stopped this potentially deadly combination, many others are waiting for the litigation outcomes.