Benzene Leukemia Law Blog : Benzene and Leukemia Lawyer & Attorney : Burke & Eisner Law Firm : Benzene Exposure, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

In their own words:

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. LLS's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since the first funding in 1954, LLS has awarded more than $600 million in research funding.

In 2009, LLS celebrates its 60th anniversary with the launch of a special Web site, lls.org/innovation. Moving forward, our goal for the future is one in which LLS has transformed the lives of people with blood cancer and the health care landscape that patients, families and caregivers navigate. Your stories are a part of our history and our future. We urge patients, caregivers and our fundraisers alike to share them and celebrate our mission.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Home Office is based in White Plains, NY. To learn more about us, use our Chapter Finder to find the LLS chapter in your area, or contact us via email or phone at (800) 955-4572.

LLS is an amazing organization and a great resource for those touched by leukemia and lymphoma. The new site is nicely done!
 

 

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For patients suffering from bone marrow failure disorders such as aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, bone marrow stem cell transplants are a life saving therapy. The only problem is, according to North West Asian weekly, a person in need of such treatment has about a 1 in 50,000 chance of finding a match. Due to a lack of registered donors, Asians in the U.S., along with other minorities, are among those with lowest probability of a successful match.

Here's the donor breakdown according to National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) data from December 2008:

• 5.3 million White,
• 690,000 Latino,
• 550,000 Black,
• 520,000 Asian,
• 210,000 mixed race,
• 83,000 American Indian,
• 10,000 Pacific Islander 

Asians and Pacific Islanders make up roughly 7 percent of the 7 million bone marrow donors nationwide.

Dr. John Choe at the University of Washington School of Medicine:

“Successful treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood disorders depends on finding a donor who has very similar tissue types as the patient — that is, it depends on finding a close ‘match,”

Siblings are the most likely match, with other direct relatives also more likely to be compatible. Though less probable, complete strangers with similar ancestry can also be a life saving match, this is why the NMDP is so important.

Choe and his colleagues have some ideas as to why Asians are so underrepresented on the NMDP:

“Our preliminary research has found that there is much fear about the pain and discomfort about donation … there are also cultural taboos against donation related to Confucian ideas about maintaining the [body’s] sanctity as a way of respecting ancestors,” 

New procedures have virtually eliminated the pain of marrow donation.

Anh Nguyen Reiss,  a 43-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, a mother, and an obstetrician/gynecologist in Houston, was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndromes this year. She requires a matching Vietnamese stem cell donor to survive. 

Huu Nguyen, Reiss’ brother and an attorney in New York, said the following:

“Asian donors are very underrepresented, the percentage is even smaller for Vietnamese donors. None of the 16,000 Vietnamese donors in the national registry matched with Anh.”

Anh Nguyen Reiss:

“Education and awareness in the community is a big problem, especially in immigrant communities, if you are an immigrant working-class mother, how do you have the resources and time to set up a bone marrow drive if one of your family members is in need?”

According to North West Asian Weekly, due to language and cultural barriers, information is difficult to access for Asians in the U.S., specifically in the immigrant communities.

Anh Nguyen Reiss:

“We need more Asian volunteers who speak Asian languages, and have to put out flyers in grocery stores and video stores, not just e-mails.”

Advances in medical procedures have greatly simplified and improved the process of bone marrow stem cell donation, making it  a painless procedure with little or no recovery time required. Now is a great time to join the NMDP and perhaps save a life. 

To learn more check out the NMDP's web site, www.marrow.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I recently received this comment from a Texas woman with first hand experience dealing with the pollution often left behind by oil and gas drilling...

I live in South Texas on a 38,000 acre ranch that ExxonMobil has leased since the 30's. A lot of kids around here have leukemia. I got the old soil conservation aerial photos and found out that ExxonMobil had huge pits where they burned sludge. I dug up a few pits and found that they are full of PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Those are linked benzene molecules and worse than regular benzene because they NEVER break down.

I made an album of the pits on our ranch. They are 100's of feet wide. You can view them on my picasa photo page. View the pits...

I really hope people will locate the pits near them and move. We are suing ExxonMobil but it is pretty hopeless because they have so much money for lawyers. It's best to just know about the pits and not move near them. ExxonMobil had a block of 2 million acres, almost contiguous, in South Texas. These pits are not just on our ranch.

Sound advice. Thousands of Americans face increased health risks due to unsafe handling and disposal hydraulic fracking chemicals. While the industry is fond of pointing out that the chemicals are injected far below the water table, and therefore pose no threat to humans and the environment, they usually omit the part about recovering a significant portion of the fluid and often storing it in open pits. Sadly the above story not an isolated incident, but an frightening reality faced by many people living near gas drilling. Thanks Elizabeth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In the United States our way of life is made possible by petroleum products such as gasoline and oil. Indeed we would not be where we are today without oil, but what is the cost to the health of our nation? Gasoline and oil products and the industries that surround them pose a significant threat to the health of consumers, workers, and communities.

Those working in or around the petrochemical industry have long suffered health problems that are now being linked to benzene exposure. Widely used in the industry, benzene is an organic solvent known to cause a wide array of serious health problems such as myelodysplastic syndromes and aplastic anemia. Benzene also causes acute myelogenous leukemia.

Gas stations are where most of us experience benzene exposure. The vapors one smells while pumping gas contain all the same chemicals as gas in its liquid form, including benzene.   

It is not unheard of for underground gasoline storage tanks to rupture, contaminating groundwater with their toxic contents. Because many older tanks are made of uncoated steel, they are destined for eventual failure due to rust. Because the tanks are underground there is no way to monitor their integrity. Many successful lawsuits have been filed on behalf of people whose groundwater has been contaminated by leaking gas tanks.

The chemical hazards posed by gas stations are not only subterranean, above ground, gas stations are prone to fuel spills and gasoline in its vapor form. The frequent small spills can mix with rainwater and drain into nearby creeks and waterways. The vapors carry benzene and other toxic chemicals into the bodies of consumers. A recent study estimates that for every 1000 gallons of fuel pumped, one gallon is released into the atmosphere.

If the station also works on cars, than the risks to health are increased. Mechanics routinely use solvents containing benzene, and lead products, and may work on breaks and clutches that contain asbestos, a substance that causes mesothelioma.

The auto refinishing and painting industry uses a host of harmful chemicals, including benzene which is found in most paint.

Vehicle exhaust is something we are all exposed to on a daily basis and few of us loose much sleep over it. That said, it contains benzene and studies have indicated an increased cancer risk among those who live on or near major highways, or are employed in toll booths, or parking garages.

Above all petrochemical plants pose the greatest risk to surrounding communities.  Countless successful lawsuits have been filed on behalf of individuals and communities negatively affected by chemical spills, leaks, and emissions. 

Recently the media has been full of talk about reducing dependence on foreign oil, how about reducing dependence on all oil? We don't have to wait for the affordable electric car to get started. A growing number of Americans are working to eliminate or limit petroleum use in their lives. The following are some ways you can reduce oil dependence and thus improve our health as a nation.  

• Moving closer to work, telecommuting, car pooling, and bicycling are all ways we can reduce our need for oil.  
• Shopping locally and buying locally produced food products whenever possible decreases oil use by reducing the need for shipping.  
• Purchasing organic products whenever possible reduces the use of petrochemical fertilizers and herbicides.
• Installing solar assisted hot water heaters reduces the use of natural gas, and your gas bill.

While it is currently impossible to completely eliminate petrochemical exposure in our population, we must hold oil companies accountable for their actions to ensure that the highest possible safety standards, and lowest possible occurrence of environmental accidents, are met.

 

 

 

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The House of Representatives has just passed legislation 298-112 giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate tobacco companies. The bill has yet to go before the senate.

The legislation would grant the FDA powers to restrict harmful chemicals added to tobacco products, and allow it reject new tobacco products.

The list of chemicals routinely added to tobacco products is to long post here, but here are just a few:

• Benzene -- linked to acute myelogenous leukemia, and blood disorders such as aplastic anemia, and myelodysplastic syndromes.
• Fungicides and pesticides --linked to cancers and birth defects.
• Cadmium -- linked to lung and prostate cancer.
• Formaldehyde -- linked to lung cancer.

The tobacco industry is the only one allowed to deliberately poison people.

Though the bill is supported by the while house and is being hailed as a major victory for those who have been working regulate big tobacco, a question comes to mind.

Why is big tobacco allowed to deliberately poison people?

Even if the FDA did force them to remove some chemicals, the product, when used as directed, would still cause consumers to die.

 

 

 

 

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Today marks a deadline for California gas station owners to have complied with new pump vapor emissions standards.  The new standards set by the State Air Resources Board require installation of new nozzles, and in some cases computer systems designed to prevent spills.

The standards are designed to prevent gasoline vapors from escaping into the atmosphere.

Gasoline vapors consist largely of hydrocarbons which react with other pollutants to form ozone, a major ingredient in smog.  According to the Air Resources Board the new equipment will "eliminate the daily release of up to 10 tons of smog forming compounds from spills and fugitive emissions."

Gasoline vapors also contain benzene, a volatile organic compound (VOC) and dangerous carcinogen.  Exposure to Benzene is known cause rare blood disorders such as myelodysplastic syndromes, aplastic anemia, non-hodgkins lymphoma, and acute myelogenous leukemia.  

 "[The new nozzles] will reduce consumer exposures to benzene, a known carcinogen".-Air resources Board

If you live in California you may have noticed that vapor reducing nozzles have been  widely used for some time, but the new nozzles represent a significant improvement in vapor reduction.  The new systems include vacuum pumps which actually suck gas vapors back into the tank.

The price of retrofit starts at $20,000 and goes up depending on pump numbers.  Station owners are expected to shoulder the cost.

According to the Associated Press lawmakers are considering emergency legislation to “ease the financial pain of a retrofit.”  

 

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Many soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from severe health problems that are being linked to the military’s practice of burning waste materials in open pits.  A freshly leaked military document strongly suggests that the Pentagon knowingly exposed US troops at Balad Airbase, in Iraq, to cancer causing toxic chemicals, while publicly declaring the risks to be minimal.

The leaked document is signed by the chief of the Air Force’s aeromedical services.  The report outlines the risks posed to troops from the burn pits of Balad, and lists the numerous carcinogens, including benzene,  arsenic, and dioxins, which are released by the pits.  Aeromedical chief Lt. Colonel James Elliott wrote:

“In my professional opinion, the known carcinogens and respiratory sensitizers released into the atmosphere by the burn pit present both an acute and a chronic health hazard to our troops and the local population,”

The document also quotes a US Army Center For Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine investigator who states that Balad’s burn pit was “the worst environmental site I have ever personally visited, [including] 10 years working clean-up for the army.”

In stark contrast to the above declarations of toxic health dangers, is a “Just the Facts” sheet regarding burn pits in general, issued to troops, by the Pentagon.  Though the sheet acknowledges that 2004-2006 lab tests found “occasional carcinogens,” it also stresses that, “the potential short and long term risks [were] estimated to be low due to the infrequent detections of these chemicals.”

The pentagon report continues:

“Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance, long term health effects are not expected to occur from breathing the smoke.”

Soldiers Face Chronic Illness

In a 2008 Army Times investigation, reporter Kelly Kennedy wrote:

“Though military officials say there are no known long-term effects from exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 100 service members have come forward to Military Times and Disabled American Veterans with strikingly similar symptoms: chronic bronchitis, asthma, sleep apnea, chronic coughs and allergy-like symptoms. Several also have cited heart problems, lymphoma and leukemia.”

This evidence of systemic top-level disregard for the health of America’s brave enlisted men and women is alarming.  The medical conditions associated with benzene alone are debilitating and even deadly.  Although the Balad pits have recently been replaced with cleaner burning incinerators, there are hundreds of similar pits across Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

 

 

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Oil and natural gas drilling companies have long maintained that the hydraulic fracturing process used in creating natural gas wells poses no threat of groundwater contamination. The federal Government has overwhelmingly agreed with this assessment, allowing the industry waivers under many federal environmental laws.

The process, commonly known as “fracking,” involves injecting huge volumes of water laced with benzene and hundreds of other toxic chemicals, deep into the earth. Although the chemicals are injected well below the water table, as much as 60% of the fluid is later recovered and often stored above ground in open pits. There is growing evidence that hydraulic fracturing poses a great threat to groundwater quality and public health.

In recent years many groundwater contamination incidents have occurred raising serious questions regarding a 2004 EPA study which stated that hydraulic fracturing poses no threat to drinking water. Although The report took major fire from independent researchers, and government whistleblowers, it still caused congress to exempt hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water act.

Recently the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) documented benzene contamination in Sublette County, Wyoming ground water. Since 2000 the area has seen well over 3000 new oil and gas wells.

In San Juan County, New Mexico the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division (NMOCD) has cited over four hundred cases of ground water contamination. The area has seen almost 5000 new wells since 2000. The contamination is said to stem from oil and gas waste pits. These pits are lawful only because oil and gas companies are exempted from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which sets standard for hazardous waste handling procedures.

Benzene, an organic solvent linked to several rare and debilitating blood disorders such as aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and acute myelogenous leukemia, is just one of the hundreds of chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing fluid. The exact compositions of these fluids are largely unknown to the public because Congress has all but completely exempted oil and gas exploration companies from the Federal Emergency Planning and Community Right To Know acts. Environmental experts believe that up to 90% of the chemicals used are toxic to humans.

The federal government should impose all of its environmental laws on all industries. It’s difficult not to speculate that if oil and gas companies were not blatantly trampling these laws, they would not require so many legal loopholes and exemptions.

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Here's another story about benzene groundwater contamination near an unlined landfill.  The contamination was discovered using "test wells" which waste management companies use to monitor groundwater contamination levels, and the drift of that contamination.

A plume of contaminates including benzene, was discovered on the north side of an Orange County North Carolina landfill.  Test wells showed the contamination to be drifting east.

According to Gayle Wilson, Orange County Solid Waste Director, The chemicals are coming from a closed portion of the landfill on the north side of Eubanks Rd.  The unlined landfill opened in 1972 and was covered in 1996.

The benzene contamination exceeded state levels for groundwater quality, but not the maximum federal level acceptable for drinking water.  Levels for vinyl chloride exceeded all acceptable levels.

Benzene is a well known carcinogen responsible for a host of debilitating diseases including dangerous blood disorders, and leukemia.

The company has been working with the state to formulate a cleanup plan.  The plan involves installation of two "injection wells." The wells will "force a mix of water and sodium permanganate into contact with the plume to neutralizer the chemicals."-Carrboro Citizen, 3/19

 

 

 

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Air monitoring by the county health department at the Sto-Rox Elementary School in Mckees Rocks, PA. has found measurable concentrations of benzene and toluene inside the school.

The monitoring was requested by the school in the wake of a USA today article which listed the air outside the school as some of the worst in the nation.  According to that article, Sto-Rox Elementary is "the 28th worst school for toxic air pollution in the nation out of 128,000 schools."

The monitoring revealed that the air inside the school contained benzene levels several times higher than outdoor samples taken at the same time.

The Allegheny County Health Department told parents not to worry, the levels of toxins found were "fairly" low, and the study was only during a four day period.

As a parent myself, I would consider the above statement a slap in the face.  The World Health Organization officially states that any exposure to benzene should be avoided whenever possible. Benzene is a highly carcinogenic organic solvent linked with several rare and debilitating blood disorders aplastic anemia and leukemia.  

Local school district officials have declined interviews with the media and refer only to a statement on their website:

"Fresh air and air circulation may help dissipate the concentrations of these chemicals.  In the short run, the district is stepping up ventilation in the elementary school immediately." 

So far no mention has been made to the public as to the source of the contamination.  

I checked out a local website and saw many posts from concerned parents saying their kids often complained  of headaches and other sickness during and after school.

The health department has not yet set a date to begin a long term health assessment .

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A local Manhattan official is opposed to gas drilling in the region for fear that the process will result in contamination of the area’s drinking water. Toxic chemicals are used in the drilling process, and Borough President Scott Stringer believes those chemicals will pollute the water and cause severe health problems among area residents.

Gas drilling is increasingly common as the U.S. attempts to become more self-sufficient with regard to energy production. However, according to a report released by Stringer, there have been at least two dozen reports of serious health issues linked to gas drilling in nine different states.

“In Wyoming, the water there where the drilling took place – 1,500 times the safe level for benzene. A house in Ohio exploded because the methane found in the tap water ignited,” he said.

Benzene is particularly toxic to humans and has been shown to cause rare cancers like leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

If you are concerned about gas drilling where you live, you may want to consider contacting your local officials to find out what kind of measures are being taken to protect area residents.

 

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Do you live near a freeway? A pilot study conducted by the Utah Department of Health in 2006 concluded that children living near freeways have a higher risk of developing leukemia as a result of the benzene emitted into the air from vehicle exhausts.

The study is not conclusive but does fit in with other evidence suggesting that the risk of cancer is higher for children who live near heavily trafficked areas. Rather than waiting around for more conclusive studies, clean air advocates like Dr. Brian Moench are saying action is needed.

"The medical data would strongly suggest that if we can reduce these kinds of emissions to our airshed, that we will have less incidence of cancer, especially among young children," Moench said.

If you live in a heavily trafficked urban area, you may wish to write to your local government official regarding possible regulatory actions.

 

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According to a recent study conducted at the University of Kentucky, a natural compound that can be extracted from grape seed could potentially kill leukemia cells. When these cancerous cells are exposed to the extract, researchers found that about 76 percent of them would be dead within 24 hours. So what is behind this new revelation?

Researchers think that the extract basically forces these harmful cells to “commit suicide” or what’s referred to as apoptosis. Apoptosis is a kind of programmed death that occurs with the cells when they are growing or developing and something goes wrong with the process. When an individual is inflicted with leukemia this means that the disease and other cancers have somehow blocked the cell signaling pathway which enables bad cells to die off. Apoptosis is essentially how the body keeps cancers and other illnesses from affecting the body.

How Can Grape Seeds Help?

The study reveals that grape seed extract is able to activate a protein known as JNK that helps to regulate the apoptotic highway and allows any damaged cells within the body to commit suicide. Grape seed extract has been studied by numerous researchers after it was discovered that this natural substance could benefit activity in breast, skin, lung, and prostate cancer patients. However, before this study, no one had tested the extract on hematological cancers.

“What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but leaves normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into this category,” explains the study’s author, Xianglin Shi, Ph.D. Shi emphasizes that this research is still in its earliest stages. Although, it is promising since hematological cancers such as leukemia, are the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

 

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Health physicians have reportedly discovered a new weapon that can be used to fight the oftentimes life-threatening illness known as leukemia. Although the drug was once dismissed as being ineffective for cancer treatment, new findings have revealed that this could just be the medication that helps fight leukemia.

Flavopiridol has shown beneficial results in both phase I and II clinical trials that involved 116 patients who were suffering from advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CCL). Researchers from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute have been conducting trials and studies on the drug in recent months.

Trial Results Revealed

In an estimated half of the patients involved in the trials, their response to Flavopiridol was supposedly positive. Many of the participants had chromosomal abnormalities that made it unlikely that they would be helped by standard therapies.

In recent years, treatment of this type of leukemia has improved; however, the disease, which affects about 15,000 people each year, is still incurable. It is also the most common type of adult leukemia and a majority of patients suffer significant infections caused by the disease and the treatment given to them.

Medication Background

During the 1980s, Flavopiridol was tested on animals and showed promise as an effective drug to treat leukemia. But when it was given to humans in repeated trials, it was ineffective and eventually researchers forgot all about the medication.

In recent years however, Ohio State researchers discovered that flavopiridol binds to proteins within the human blood, so it was revealed that in the earlier trials, humans were not getting enough of the drug for it to be effective.

"Flavopiridol has bridged the way for several CCL patients to receive a curative stem cell transplant," explains Dr. John Byrd, associate director of translational research and the principal investigator in the phase II trial.

 

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According to recent reports, leukemia is the most common type of cancer to inflict children. This type of cancer affects the blood-forming tissues that enable the bone marrow and lymphatic systems to function properly. Leukemia typically begins in the white blood cells, before it spreads into the red blood cells and platelets of the body.

The white blood cells are potent infection fighters that typically grow and divide in a somewhat orderly way, depending upon how the body needs to use them. However, for patients who are suffering from leukemia, the bone marrow produces a large number of abnormal white blood cells that typically don't function properly.

Leukemia Affects Adults Too

Although research shows that leukemia is most common in children, it isn’t simply a children's disease. Doctors have found that the disease has four main types and many subtypes — and only some of these are common in children. The disease is classified upon how fast the leukemia progresses, according to researchers.

For those who have acute leukemia, the abnormal blood cells have immature blood cells, also called, blasts. In this case, they aren’t able to carry out their normal work, and instead they multiply rapidly, so the disease worsens quickly. In cases of acute leukemia these blasts happen so often and at such a rapid pace that patients are required to get aggressive and timely treatment.

There are several factors that play a part in why adults develop leukemia, the most common one being exposure to benzene. Benzene is a toxic chemical that is typically used as an additive in gasoline and can be found in sodas and cigarettes. Those who inhale, ingest or handle the chemical are at high risk of developing leukemia and other forms of life altering cancers.

 

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Novartis AG recently announced that their new cancer drug, Tasigna, is showing promise as an effective treatment for patients suffering from leukemia. According to a spokesperson for the company, Tasigna is effective and helpful for newly diagnosed patients who a living with life threatening forms of leukemia.

Data from the two mid-stage clinical trials was presented at the American Society of Hematology and proved that there was a fast elimination of cancer cells in 96 percent of patients who were given Tasigna as a form of treatment. Patients who were suffering from Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia were reportedly particularly responsive to the drug.  

"Tasigna now shows potential to become the treatment of choice for certain newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia," Novartis stated to reporters.

Tasigna Details

Tasigna has been approved for patients who are no longer responding to Glivec, which until now has been Novartis’ second-biggest seller and the most effective treatment for this deadly form of leukemia.  
Data which was presented to a panel of researchers showed that an estimated nine out of ten patients suffering from this type of leukemia are still living in a healthy state after enduring seven years of a clinical trial with Glivec. This proves to be the longest overall survival for patients who are living with Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML.
Causes of CML

Leukemia and many other forms of cancer are commonly linked to exposure to the toxic chemical benzene. Benzene is a known carcinogen that is commonly used in various types of dyes, sodas, and is used as an additive in gasoline.

Those who are exposed to benzene over a long duration of time are at high risk of developing leukemia and other life altering illnesses due to the toxicity of the chemical.
 

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A field in East Austin, Texas which was once occupied by several giant cylinders holding gasoline is now reportedly cleaned-up after much controversy and community protesting. The area was dubbed "the tank farm" by those who lived in the surrounding communities of the field and it was a cause of concern due to the amount of benzene that was being emitted from the site.

Neighbors first heard about the site in the early 1990's and activists and public officials quickly took action. There was reportedly a dangerous amount of pollutants, including the toxic chemical known as benzene, infesting the groundwater near the site and the air was becoming highly intoxicated by emitted chemicals and gases.

Site of Benzene Emissions Finally Closed

According to reports, the six oil companies who were operating the facility agreed to close the site after threats of lawsuits and ongoing protests were thrown upon them. Although this decision was made 15 years ago, community leaders and occupants are now hopeful that they will finally start to see change as crews began clearing the field in the past few weeks.

Many believe that there will still be trace amounts of pollutants like benzene left in the area, even after the cleanup; however, the EPA says that the amount left behind, if any, won't be enough to cause any physical harm.

"If the tank farm really has been cleaned up, we want it to be something that serves the neighborhood," explains a local, touching on concerns that linger among some tank-farm neighbors.

The site, which has been open and operating for over 55 years, was operated by big whig oil companies like Exxon, Chevron, Citgo and Mobil. In the 1950's the surrounding areas of this field began being developed and many neighborhoods sprang up. Benzene is one of the leading causes of diseases like leukemia and aplastic anemia and as more research became exposed about the chemical, locals began worrying for their own safety and well-being. When many farmers in the community began having health problems, they knew exactly where to point fingers and so the protests began.

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Reports are talking about the International Fuel Quality Center's (IFQC) recent ranking if the top 100 countries in regards to benzene content standards in their gasoline. According to these reports, Colombia ranked number one with the lowest benzene limits and earliest implementation of any benzene related-laws. Canada was ranked at second place while Luxembourg came in third.
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified the chemical known as benzene as being a Group A, known human carcinogen. This toxic solvent has been found to cause various illness to the bone marrow and bloodstream, and is most notable responsible for causing leukemia among those exposed. It can be found in naturally crude oil and is also used as an additive in certain dyes, for the production of synthetic rubbers and in cigarettes. Officials for the EPA say that controlling the amount of benzene in gasoline is the most effective way to limit its emissions from vehicles.

"The current global trend is to reduce benzene content in gasoline, as it's also seen as the most effective way to reduce human exposure to the chemical," explains Lisa Kiuru, executive director, IFQC.

How Do Most Countries Rank?

The rankings show that a majority of the countries throughout the world don't have any individual specifications for gasoline and low level gasoline-ethanol blends, like Colombia.
 
European countries reportedly topped the ranking, along with many Asian countries, including Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, which was tied at 18th with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The U.S. is ranked at 67th place, due to the fact that these rankings are based upon national maximum allowance standards and U.S. standards were last updated in 1997. Researchers did note though, that the state of California could have ranked first if it was its own country because its gasoline benzene limit is 0.7 vol%.

The complete ranking the top 100 countries by gasoline benzene content standards can be found on the IFQC's web site.

 

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According to a recent study out of Italy, there is new evidence that exposure to benzene can not only increase people’s risk of leukemia, but it’s also linked to multiple myeloma. For years, benzene, which is a toxic chemical that is commonly used as an additive in gasoline, in the production of synthetic rubbers and sodas, has been linked to leukemia and aplastic anemia. However, researchers are now finding that benzene is the cause if other illness as well.

The study was conducted by Dr. Adele Seniori Constantini from the Center for Study and Prevention of Cancer, along with some of her colleagues. The researchers reportedly found that benzene can cause an increased risk of chronic lymphoid leukemia as well multiple myeloma. Two other chemicals, xylene and toluene were also linked with exposure to benzene.

 Study Reveals New Findings

Although Constantini has revealed the results from the new study, benzene’s link with multiple myeloma are reportedly still under debate. In order to investigate the results of benzene exposure, the team of researchers identified all known cases of blood and lymphatic cancers in people ages 20 to 74 in 11 different parts of Italy.

They also looked at 586 cases of leukemia found in seven of the regions and compared chemical exposures for individuals who were sick and to those based on occupation.

The study found that medium to high levels of benzene exposure nearly doubled the risk of these two blood cancers. The more intense levels of exposure were to participants and the longer it lasted, the greater the risk that they would develop a life altering illness.

"Our results, even if based on small numbers, are in agreement with the hypothesis that acute myeloid leukemia risk following benzene exposure declines in time while chronic lymphoid leukemia and multiple myeloma risks are seen over a longer latency period,” claims the research team.

 

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A wastewater treatment company in Shreveport, Louisiana, is currently being investigated due to recent findings that benzene and other toxic chemicals from the plant were being dumped into the Red River. The facility was reportedly shut down in October 2007 after the river was found to be polluted. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality conducted several tests on the water and publicly revealed that hazardous waste from the plant was being disposed of in the river.

Among the toxins that were found to be polluting the river were benzene, toluene and xylene. Each of these chemicals can be extremely dangerous to those exposed and have been linked to various forms of cancer, including leukemia, lung cancer and aplastic anemia.

Ongoing Waste Problems

Despite the legal troubles the waste facility, known as CCS, is facing they are reportedly still seeking permission to discharge wastewater and storm water into areas where they would eventually find their way into the Red River.

Reports from a review of federal and state records related to CCS reveals:

• The illegal dumping of wastewater into Red River
• Four hidden tanks of hazardous waste that were supposedly identified by company officials as treated wastewater
• Concerns about accepting and treating wastewaters in early 2008

The findings of benzene are of most concern to health officials since the chemical is a known carcinogen and can cause fatal illnesses to those exposed over an extended period of time. Benzene can be found in gasoline, cigarettes and sodas.

 

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Recent reports claimed that Genzyme Corp. recently filed a new drug request with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a potential leukemia treatment. The company has been doing ongoing research on clofarabine and has supposedly found that the drug could help treat adult patients living with acute myeloid leukemia.

Genzyme has reportedly requested that the FDA conduct a priority review of the medication so it can begin being used to treat patients in the first half of the new year.

Drug Approved for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Clofarabine has already been approved to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia and has proven to be beneficial in patients. The drug has been used to treat relapsed and refractory pediatric patients who are between the ages of one and 21 years old. Now, the Genzyme is hoping the FDA will see how beneficial the medication can also be for patients living with acute myeloid leukemia.

Details of Leukemia Medication

Clorfarabine has been sold under the brand name Clolar in the U.S. market and was developed by ILEX Oncology, which is based out of San Antonio, Texas. ILEX is reportedly a predecessor company to Genzyme Oncology, which is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The drug was originally created to target certain drugs, aside from leukemia; however, researchers are finding that it could be the effective treatment needed to help patients living with this sometimes fatal illness.

Genzyme and its partner company, along with researchers who have worked hard to uncover the benefits of this medication are hoping that the FDA will work fast for patients to begin being treated.




 

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An eleven-year-old boy from Bothell, Washington has inspired a community and shocked many throughout the country with his last wish. The boy was diagnosed with leukemia last December and was told that he had only months to live. When asked what he would like his last wish to be, the answer was not what doctors, or even his family, expected.

Unlike many, Brenden Foster’s last wish wasn’t a material item of some kind, or a trip to somewhere exotic. His last wish was to help feed the homeless.

"I was coming back from one of my clinic appointments and I saw this big thing of homeless people and then I thought I should just get them something," states Foster, in a simple, matter-of-fact manner.

Leukemia Patient Takes Action

So that’s exactly what he did, in the best way he could. At the time, Foster was too weak to do anything about his wish directly, but news of his last wish spread and inspired hundreds to take action on his behalf.

The town of Bothell, which is near Seattle, was brought to life as locals started a major food drive to take to the downtown area.

"They're probably starving, so give them a chance," said Foster.  

Hundreds of volunteers took time preparing meals to take into the city in hopes that they could help bring Foster’s wish to life, and that they did. However, this was just the beginning. News of Foster spread from east coast to west, all within this past week, and began answering his wish in their own ways.

"I've never seen the courage that this little boy just displayed," one homeless man stated while waiting for a meal in Los Angeles. "I've never seen anything like it in my life. It left me speechless."
Although Foster’s life was taken last Friday, his spirit was consistently kept energized and positive by his wish that came true, say members of his family.

"Tis’ the season to give," he said.

 

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Recent reports are being exposed regarding an event that took place in July, which could prove to put many lives at risk. In mid-summer a hydrologist reportedly dropped a plastic sampling pipe nearly 300 feet down a water well in Sublette County, Wyoming. What he discovered next was anything but comforting for the rural community. The water below was found to be brown, oily and contained a foul smell. When tested, the water was found to contain benzene, a known carcinogen that has been linked to aplastic anemia.

The amount of benzene found in the water was supposedly 1,500 times the level safe for human beings. When the news was released, state and federal regulatory agencies were sent into a frenzy. Aplastic anemia is a potentially fatal condition for which some treatments can't cure.
 
Investigation Ensues Regarding Benzene Problems

After the benzene-filled water discovery ProPublica found that water contamination in the several other drilling areas throughout the country are more prevalent than what meets EPA standards. However, in each case found, it was difficult for researchers to pinpoint exactly what was causing the contamination and measure it across the environment accordingly.

"I am looking more and more at water quality issues…because of a growing concern," explains Joyel Dhieux, a drilling field inspector who handles environmental review at the EPA's regional offices in Denver. "But if you don't know what's in it I don't think it's possible."

Aplastic Anemia Scare

Aside from the obvious panic that was sent through the small Wyoming County and many others with this sudden water contamination problem, is the risk at the core of the issue: cancer. Benzene has been known to cause aplastic anemia and leukemia in those exposed over extended periods of time. Although aplastic anemia, which is an illness of the blood cells, isn't always severe, aplastic anemia treatments vary and aren't always effective in helping those with the health condition. As a result, many member of the community are getting physicals and have a growing concern for their own health as they educate themselves about benzene and aplastic anemia treatments available.

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According to reports, Cold-fX will be used in a clinical trial and test by the U.S. National Cancer Institute for use in leukemia patients. The study will determine whether or not Cold-fX would be effective in preventing acute respiratory infections and help to reduce antibiotic use in patients. More than 300 patients suffering from lymphocytic leukemia will take part in the study.

This leukemia study will be conducted throughout the main cold and flu season, which will last from January to April 2009. Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina will be serving as the lead researchers in the study and is considered to be one of the world’s leading cancer research centers.

Leukemia Study Details

Dr. Kevin High, the chief of infectious diseases at the School of Medicine will also serve as the trial’s lead investigator. Dr. High says the risk of acquiring a respiratory infection increases in cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, an illness those most likely effects the elderly.

“The weakened immune system means vaccines don't work as well, so alternative ways of preventing infection are urgently needed,” explains Dr. High. “Our hypothesis - that Cold-fX could reduce infections by enhancing immune function in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients - is supported by previous research. We are encouraging results from studies that, importantly, involved older adults, including trials that demonstrated safety and effectiveness in seniors in nursing homes."

How Cold-fX Could Help Leukemia Patients

Cold-fX is an extract of North American ginseng that is designed to boost the immune system in the human body.

Dr. Edward Shaw, the principal of Wake Forest's Comprehensive Cancer Centre, has referred to the Cold-fX study as potentially being the most important clinical trial using a natural product in the 10 years that Wake Forest has been adding to its Community Clinical Oncology Program Research Base.

 

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A former leukemia patient and the stem cell donor who saved her life met for the first time at the 11th annual Celebrating Life Reunion. The event, which was hosted by the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, joins together those who have suffered from cancers like leukemia, and the ones who helped save their lives.

Jane Harman and her husband Gary, attended the event with their two children. In January 2006, Jane was diagnosed with leukemia and when she learned that she needed a stem cell donor but no one in her family shared her tissue type, she was devastated.

Woman with Leukemia Finds Donor

Soon after Harman became ill she discovered that someone she had never met had just joined the registry and this person just happened to be a perfect match for her. Chelsea Kleinmeyer from Whiteriver, Arizona, became a member of the Iowa Marrow Donor Program in September 2005 when she heard that a friend of her mother’s needed a transplant. However, only weeks later she found out that someone she had never met was in need and she didn’t hesitate to help.

Roger Gingrich, M.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Programs at the University of Iowa Hospitals and also serves as the associate director for clinical affairs in the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UI.

"As a transplant team, our goal is to restore people back to their lives," Gingrich explains. "When patients come and stay with us for their transplants, we see them at their most vulnerable. At our Celebrating Life Reunion, we meet again in the arena of renewed life.”

Those who are most in need of a blood stem cell transplant are typically diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, such as leukemia or aplastic anemia. According to reports, each year more than 30,000 people living in the United States are diagnosed with diseases that are potentially treatable by a stem cell transplant. However, finding a donor for the transplant is oftentimes very difficult.




 

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Those living in the small town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, have joined together to help their friend, and neighbor, in need. The community of Hayden has really stepped up in their efforts to help Sharon Rogers, a local woman who was recently diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The community has organized a benefit bazaar, which will take place this coming weekend, in an effort to raise money for Rogers.

"It's a little community, and we don't have all the resources big communities have," explains Kathy Hockin, who has helped plan the bazaar. “And when somebody's having a hard time and is laid up, we try to do what we can do. It's nothing formal — we just try to do the right thing."

Living with Leukemia

Rogers is reportedly currently undergoing her third round of chemotherapy treatment for her illness. According to family and friends, the first two rounds didn't help much, and since Rogers was diagnosed in 1999, she has endured a great deal of emotional and physical pain.

The volunteers working at the bazaar will be selling personalized gift baskets, candles and stuffed animals, with all proceeds going towards helping Rogers with her medical care. The event will be taking place at the Routt County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall and Rogers hopes it will also help to raise awareness about leukemia and its causes.

50 baskets have already been assembled and among the other items locals can buy at this free event are Christmas decorations, women's clothing, children's clothing, rugs and more.

"I think it's wonderful," Rogers said. "It's really good."

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According to research from the Moores Cancer Center at the University if California, San Diego, clinical trials are currently underway for a new novel leukemia therapy. The therapy reportedly focuses on increasing the immune system so it can more effectively combat a difficult-to-treat form of leukemia.

This new form of therapy is supposedly going to start being offered to patients who have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and whose cancer isn’t responding to other more standard forms of treatment.

How the Treatment Will Work

In the clinical trial, patients will receive a vaccine of a molecule that has been found to have immune-boosting capabilities, known as ISF35. This vaccine is then followed by a three course treatment of rituximab, which is a monoclonal antibody, and two additional chemotherapy drugs. This trial has been deemed as being Phase I of the treatment, which means that it is aimed at testing the safety of the combination of all of these medications and treatments together.

 

"This approach – activating immune cells followed by chemotherapy – may lead to new strategies that could be applied to other cancers," explains Januario E. Castro, M.D., assistant clinical professor of medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, who has served as the lead of the research team.

 

This treatment is thought to be the ideal approach doctors have been seeking to target cancer cells and activate the immune system. It can reportedly do so by making the leukemia B cells, which are cancerous, more visible. In turn, the immune system will be able to easily find and effectively eliminate the cancer cells.

 

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America’s favorite television show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition’s latest episode focuses on a family living in Arkansas who is dealing with the fatal illness, leukemia. The episode, which is set to air this week, exposes audiences to the McCully family from Bigelow, Arkansas. Within the family is a ten-year-old boy named Job, who is living with leukemia, a cancer of the blood, and who serves as an inspiration to many.

 

Since his diagnosis, Job has undergone several surgeries, including a bone marrow and double lung transplant. However, through it all he has kept a positive attitude and has seemingly overcome the illness that can plague people and in some cases, quickly take their lives.

 

Behind the Illness

 

Reports claim that Job has been in and out of hospitals for years and in March 2008, paid what is hoped to have been his last visit. Although he still has to go in for periodical check-ups, the McCully family has been able to have Job live at home, which in their eyes is a miracle in itself after all he’s been through.

 

Though, the place the McCully’s call home could be partially to blame for Job’s health complications. The family’s home is supposedly moldy and outdated, with a leaking roof and walls infested with mildew. In 2006, Job’s lungs showed up with fungus on them, a fungus thought to be acquired from the mildew in the home. Since this time, the family has lived in constant fear that their home is making them sick and potentially creating more health problems for Job.

 

 TV Show Hopes to Make a Difference

 

Ty Pennington and his team at Extreme Makeover are hoping that they can provide the McCully family with a home that will free them from any worry and stress. Job has already suffered a great deal with his treatments and the new home is meant to serve as a new beginning for the boy and his new life of health living. Hundreds of volunteers throughout the town are also helping with the building of the new home so Job and his hard-working family will have a comfortable and safe place to come home too.

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Qualcomm Stadium in the city of San Diego became filled with walkers looking to make a difference this weekend. The Light the Night two-mile walk was held as part of a nationwide Leukemia & Lymphoma Society program. Events across the country are being held in honor of the program in order to celebrate and commemorate people who have been affected by this deadly form of cancer.

 

Among the 2,000 walkers at the event held for leukemia victims in San Diego was Tom Hagedorn, who is the men’s tennis coach at the University of San Diego. Hagedorn, 43, was one of many who could be seen carrying an illuminated white balloon, which signified that he was a cancer survivor. Those supporting cancer patients held red-lit balloons and walkers holding illuminated balloons represented loved ones who had passed away from leukemia.

 

Leukemia Walk Brings Back Memories

 

 

For Hagehorn and many others the evening brought back memories of days spent in the hospital and receiving a diagnosis no one wants to hear. However, it also served as inspiration to those around them and reminded all the walkers that this disease can be fought.

 

When Hagedorn was diagnosed with leukemia 14 months ago, the doctor told him he should pack his bags and move into the hospital to immediately begin chemotherapy. It was only three days into his treatment when Hagedorn’s body began rejecting the treatment drugs and his lungs begin to hemorrhage. As a result, he fell into a coma and was transferred to the intensive-care unit. His wife, Melissa, was reportedly “prepared for his death” by the doctors and nurses caring for him.

 

It was as his family gathered at his bedside that his oxygen numbers immediately began spiking and he came out of his coma. Days after he woke up, he underwent a bone-marrow biopsy which showed that his cancer was in remission.

 

Nearly 15 family members gathered around Hagedorn's bed that night. Melissa remembers Hagedorn's mother touching her son's leg and his oxygen numbers immediately spiking.

 

 “In my nearly 25 years of being a physician,” explained his physician, Dr. Krebs, “I have never seen anyone: A) have that immediate reaction to chemotherapy, and B) be in such critical condition and survive. He was as close to death as people can get and pull through. It still amazes me.”

 

Now, Hagedorn is back on the tennis courts at USD and walking to make a difference for all of those who were not fortunate to beat the disease, as well as those who are currently going through what he did.

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LyondellBasdell Industries is based in Houston and manufactures products “essential to the quality of life and the mobility of people.” However, the safety and environmental care with which the company runs their business is currently being questioned by the city. Houston’s mayor, Bill White, has requested that a regulatory permit be implemented at the Houston refinery and has voiced his concern for benzene emissions.

White wants to reduce the amount of emissions at the refinery by 41 percent, but LyondellBasell doesn’t feel such a regulation is necessary. A spokesperson for the refinery says that “While we do not agree with the assumptions made in the city's filing, we are encouraged that the city has finally elected to utilize the regulatory process developed through legislative authority rather than the extralegal procedures previously pursued.”

The Dangers of Benzene

The debate regarding a permit has become heated due to the severity of the topic at hand. Benzene is a toxic chemical and known carcinogen that has been causing more harm than good in the city of Houston in recent years. Benzene is often used as an additive in gasoline and is also typically used in the production of synthetic rubbers and various dyes.

When people are exposed to benzene over an extended period of time, they are put at risk of developing life-threatening illnesses like leukemia, MDS, and lung cancer. The problem is, which coincides with White’s concerns for Houston residents and the refinery’s workers, many people are exposed to the substance without their knowledge. In these cases they develop somewhat common symptoms like easy bruising and infections before being diagnosed with something more severe than the common cold.

 

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 Robyn Froerer was one of many training for the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, which helps raise funds to combat deadly diseases, when she decided to take some action of her own. It was on one of her long-distance runs when she realized the source of her inspiration.

 
Froerer took a day off from running and went to the cancer ward at the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center where her six-year-old daughter, Isabella Jane was battling for her life. Isabella was suffering from leukemia, one of the many diseases the marathon focused on raising money for, and Froerer decided it would be more effective for Isabella to come to the track with her so the other runners could actually see the effects of the disease. Isabella’s hair was mostly gone from her chemotherapy treatments and she appeared to be gaunt; however, her health condition was something Froerer thought was essential for the runners to see so they could be informed of the important role they were playing by participating in the run.

 
"My motivation was to let those people know who they were running for, to put a face to their cause," Froerer explained. "Isabelle Jane looked to them as her team, the team that was going to save her life. Even after she'd had horrendous chemotherapy, she wanted to go cheer them on, to be at the water stops to let them know, 'If I can be here, you can do this.' "

More Americans Taking Action for a Good Cause

  

Research shows that in the past few years more Americans have taken to races and fundraisers to contribute to a good cause, such as raising money for leukemia victims. In 2007 alone, the top 30 fundraising runs, walks and bike rides reportedly raised over $1.6 billion for various fatal illnesses. This amount showed a 12 percent increase from the year before.

  

The Nike Women’s Marathon that Froerer is participating in this year is expected to attract more than 20,000 participants. In the past four years that the race has been held it has managed to raise more than $60 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

  

“You feel like you're standing shoulder to shoulder with thousands of people who want to make a difference" says Froerer, who has participated in the race before.

 

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In 2001 Jeff Braccini, whose three-year-old son was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) at the time, opened the leukemia cluster scientific symposium. The symposium was held at the University of Reno and enabled scientists to view the human faces of the diseases they’re studying.

 

The grantees of the federal grant secured at this most recent showing, which was open to scientists last week, was reportedly to study the Fallon leukemia cluster. When the Fallon leukemia cluster occurred, 17 children were sickened between 1997 and 2001 with the deadly cancer. At the symposium, researchers gathered to share their findings regarding this occurrence and discuss related research.

 

Man Fights on Behalf of Son

 

 

Braccini is reportedly a member of the Families in Search of Truth, which was created to push for further scientific research to be done after the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention was shut down. Senator Harry Reid is said to have meet with all of the families that are a part of this group and have been affected by leukemia to lend a helping hand. He also contributed, along with several of his colleagues, thousands of dollars to the cause.

 

“It’s important to use research, and it may take time,” Murphy said. “We don’t know what’s changed and what’s abated,” explains Dr. William Murphy from UNR’s School of Medicine.

Topics Covered in Hopes of Leukemia Research

 

 

Each researcher at the event presented a project and the preliminary results are reportedly going to go towards an ongoing scientific investigation of the causes of leukemia. According to the scientists, final conclusions will not be met until some point next year.

 

Among the attendees was Dr. Joseph Wiemels, a grantee from the University of California, San Francisco. Wiemels is the head \of the children’s cancer control study in the Bay Area, which has 1,1100 cases yearly. He felt the Fallon leukemia cluster cases would be particularly applicable in providing insight into childhood leukemia

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Video games are typically catered towards children and even thought of in a negative manner due to their violence; however, a new online site dispels these associations. Play2Cures is a new site that helps raise money and awareness for leukemia, lymphoma and myleoma.

 

On the site, visitors of all ages can play solitare, sudoku and minature golf in an effort to raise money for a good cause. The site was developed and designed by Pledgeplay, which is a company that creates funding sites and Play2Cures operates merely on donations.

 

Play for a Good Cause

 

 

According to reports, there are currently five games available to those who want to play for a good cause and the site will be adding more games on a regular basis. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) recently announced their partnership with Play2Cures and are hoping to raise $10,000 by December 31. The site serves as a good example of how games can not only help raise money and awareness, but they can also help children to better cope with cancer.

 

One child who has been helped by the site is Taylor Carol from Dana Point, California. Taylor was a typical 11-year-old boy who loved baseball when doctors discovered he had acute lymphocytic leukemia. During the months that Taylor was fighting for his life and receiving bone marrow transplants, his father, software designer Jim Carol and CEO of Game 7 Entertainment, launched Pledgeplay. The site focuses on being a positive way families can bond with each other while helping others, like Taylor, receive the treatment and care they need.

 

Reports show that more than 50 million U.S. adults play family-friendly games online and view gaming as a good hobby to help them bond with family members. While Taylor was hospitalized the site served as a good distraction for him and now that he has healed him and his father hope that it will do the same for others who are suffering from leukemia and other forms of cancer

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According to recent news, a lawsuit has been filed by the children of a man who was supposedly wrongly exposed to benzene while at work. The suit has been filed two years after the man's death and his children say they chose to take action in hopes that others won't have to endure the painful loss they did when their father passed away.

 

The lawsuit, which was filed in Texas, names Texaco and Chevron as the defendants and accuses them of maliciously exposing their workers to benzene and other cancer-causing chemicals. Benzene is a known carcinogen that has been linked to various types of fatal cancers, including leukemia. 

 

Benzene Lawsuit Details

 

 

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Joseph Baker Jr., who was employed for both Texaco and Chevron during his professional career. His children are serving as the plaintiffs and hope to be given compensation for their father's pain and suffering and the financial and emotional toll it has taken on their own lives.

 

"During his employment (Baker) used and was exposed to toxic and carcinogenic benzene and benzene-containing products," states the suit. "As a result of such exposure Joseph Baker Jr. developed lymphoma from which he died a painful and terrible death on Oct. 14, 2006."

 

Works Still At Leukemia Risk

 

 

The suit also claims that the defendants knew about the potential harm the benzene exposure could have on their employees but failed to do anything about it. The plaintiffs are stating that employees are still being put at risk and could develop a benzene-related illness similar to what their father did.

 

"The defendant failed to timely and adequately warn workers of the dangers of said chemicals. The defendant failed to take the necessary engineering, safety, industrial hygiene and other precautions and provide adequate warning and training to ensure that the deceased was not exposed to said toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, including benzene," explains the suit.

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Recent findings have proved just how at risk we are of acquiring some form of cancer these days, particularly due to all of the pollutants and chemicals in our air, food and water. Research shows that a majority of cancers are inflicted by the environment. Chemicals like benzene, which is typically used as an additive in gasoline and is used in the production of synthetic rubbers and dyes, are slowly killing us.

 

Among the environmental risks that are putting us most at harm at indoor and outdoor pollution and the chemicals we are unknowingly exposed to at work, that infest our foods and are used in the manufacturing of our plastics. Although some of these chemicals are more toxic than others, like benzene. none of them are beneficial. In this increasingly fast paced world full of traffic, new technology and more supplies, we as humans can be exposed on a daily basis to things we inhale, ingest and absorb on our skin without our knowledge.

 

Harmful Toxins All Around Us

 

When we inhale harmful toxins like benzene and asbestos, the effects can be extremely damaging to our hearts, lungs and nervous systems. In the short term benzene exposure can cause sneezing and watery eyes, but in the long term, this known carcinogen can cause the development of fatal illnesses like leukemia and lung cancer.

 

Among the items that we are in contact with daily that could cause serious health problems are:

• Air Fresheners
• Aerosol Sprays
• Dry Cleaning Fluid Fumes
• Kerosene Heaters
• Floor Tiles
• Gasoline
• Soda
• Cigarette Smoke

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In an effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Lapeer Business Association president Mike Manchester traded in his suit and tie for a pair of hiking shoes. Manchester and his wife, Sharon, took part in the annual Hike for Discovery in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

 

Manchester’s presence at the hike was important to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society seeing as he is the manager of First Preferred Mortgage Co., is a member of the Lapeer Area Chamber of Commerce, the local Realtor Association and the Lapeer and Upper Thumb Association of Realtors. Aside from the publicity he brought to the hike, Manchester says his greatest accomplishment has been standing by his wife and seeing her strength as she’s suffered through cancer.

 

Husband and Wife Team Up for a Good Cause

 

 

The Manchester’s decided to go on the hike after Sharon was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2005. During 2006 and 2007 alone Mike helped raise more than $16,000 through the Discovery Hikes at the Grand Canyon and Yosemite national parks.

"As a husband I needed to have something I could do that was positive for my wife," explains Manchester. "I couldn't cure her cancer, but I can certainly help raise money for the people who hopefully will find a cure someday."

 

Money Raised for Cancer Research

 

Like many victims of leukemia, Sharon has already endured two rounds of chemotherapy and receives 24-hour radiation treatments. This year, Mike set a goal to raise at least

 

$6,200 to fund leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and Hodgkin’s disease research. Combined, these fatal illnesses affect an estimated 712, 000 people living in the United States yearly. According to reports, Mike is currently only $2, 400 short of his goal.

 

“It’s blood cancer research we're hiking for, but some of the programs they fund are applicable to other types of cancer as well, so helping this cause can have a positive impact for many people," said Manchester.

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The effects of sitting in hours of traffic everyday can have a serious effect on your health, a fact that more and more San Diego residents are becoming familiar with. Each day thousands of people get into their cars and become a part of the mass exodus of people who cross through the two ports of entry between San Diego and Tijuana.

 

“The wait times at the San Ysidro Port of Entry can be a few minutes late at night and during the mid-day but can peak up to 120 minutes during the busy daily commutes in the early morning and evening hours,” explains Vince Bond, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Public Affairs Officer.

 

Health Complications Stem from Commute

 

Recently, more commuters have been diagnosed with have severe health problems and are voicing their frustration with the ever growing border wait times. According to doctors within this region, patients are not only coming to them due to lower back pains from sitting in the car for so long. They are also being admitted and even diagnosed with benzene related illnesses.

 

Benzene, which is a known carcinogen and has been linked to leukemia and lung cancer, is just one of the many pollutants and toxins that commuters are being exposed to on a daily basis. And although the effects of the longer border waits have been studied and analyzed throughout the years, there has been little research on what the commute can do to people physically.

 

According to Dr. PJE Quintana, a professor at the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University, exposure to traffic-related pollution is being associated with asthma, heart disease and even adverse reproductive outcomes.

 

 “In-vehicle levels of particulate matter other pollutants, including carbon monoxide and benzene can be high in slow or stopped traffic, such as at the ports of entry” says Quintana.

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Alton Kemp, 81, is one of the many residents of Flemington, New Jersey who has received free water since he was a child from the city. He has kept all of the letters from his attorney in their original envelopes and is just one of the many residents that feels victimized by the polluted wells in the area.

 

For the past 28 years, New Hanover County’s city of Flemington has been giving out free water to residents after the EPA discovered their polluted wells in the 1970’s. The county recently announced that they were no longer going to provide residents with free water and locals like Kemp are taking legal action to fight back.

 

Benzene Found in Water

 

 

The water issues arose in Flemington in the 1970’s when the county granted Waste Industries permission to “stash their trash” in various landfill sites throughout the county. By 1977 residents began complaining that there water smelled and tasted bad and several reports of health complications, including cases of leukemia, arose throughout the city.

 

David Noonan, was brought into play as an attorney representing the people and he requested that city commissioners close the landfill, install a permanent water system and compensate residents for damage to their property and potentially their health.

 

When an investigation was conducted by the state and federal agencies, the EPA found a large number of toxic chemicals, including benzene, a known carcinogen, beneath the landfill and in various wells containing the water residents were drinking.

 

Free Water Promised to Residents

 

After attorneys representing the residents of Flemington, including Noonan, negotiated with commissioners, they were eventually promised that the county would give residents 12,000 gallons of free water every two months and that they would pay for additional water needs beyond that.

 

However, lawsuits ensued and many residents still chose to take legal action for the damage that had already been done, damage they believed could have been prevented. In 1985 the defendants and the EPA reached a preliminary settlement and the site was to be secured before a vegetative soil cover was supposed to go on top of the landfill. In 1989, a study conducted by Waste Industries found that there was an extreme threat to public health from the landfill site.

 

Although those living in Flemington and the surrounding areas were continuing to get free water, EPA officials suggested residents still be tested for leukemia and other benzene related illnesses. Almost simultaneous this warning, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority took over the county’s utility system and refused to continue giving residents water for free.

 

Residents Hold County to Agreement

 

Kemp, who had been receiving free, clean water from the county since he was seven, says his distrust in the county provoked him to keep all the legal files, and now he’s glad he has.

 

Kemp and many of his Flemington neighbors have received free water for over three decades, all the result of an agreement that the county commissioners made with residents after benzene and other pollutants infected their private wells.

 

This past July, Kemp and many others got a letter informing from the county informing them that they would start receiving water bills on a regular basis. For residents in Flemington, a regular water bill, for water that could or could not be still polluted, financially and physically straining. They are insisting that the county took their clean water and are now putting them at risk for benzene exposure, something the county, not the residents, should have to pay for.

 

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 World renowned actor and acclaimed philanthropist Paul Newman passed away from leukemia over the weekend. Newman, 83, was reportedly surrounded by family and friends at his home in Westport, Connecticut, when he lost he long battle to cancer. The public was made aware of Newman’s illness over the summer when his publicist exposed the news and after undergoing continuing chemotherapy treatment, he was dismissed in August from Weill Cornell Medical Center.

 

The Man Behind the Name

 

Not only was Paul Newman an Academy Award-winning actor who called fellow actor, Robert Redford his best friend, he was also a race car driver, a father, a political activist, an entrepreneur and beloved husband. He rose to fame in the 1960’s playing the rebel in movies like “The Hustler” and “Cool Hand Luke.” However, Newman could rarely be caught referring to himself as a celebrity and instead took pride in the many charities he worked so passionately to support and expose. Over the years, his line of salad dressings and organic foods, “Newman’s Own” helped raise more than $200 million to aid the chronically and terminally ill children throughout the country. His wife, Joanne Woodward, and him also contributed a great deal campaigning for the Democrat party and Civil Rights in America.

 

Leukemia Cuts Life Short

  

Leukemia, a cancer which is commonly caused by exposure to benzene, is to blame for cutting Newman’s life short. Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow and is often characterized by an abnormal production of blood cells in the human body. White blood cells are commonly produced in an a-typical manner in those suffering from this fatal illness and although chemotherapy has proven to be an effective treatment, a cure has yet to be found. 

 

 

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JCI Jones Chemicals Inc. is continuing their ongoing investigation of the soil, groundwater and soil gas in Los Angeles. According to reports, chlorinated solvents and benzene were found near the supply plant and the company is now working with the U.S Environmental Protection Agency to protect the environment and local residents that could potentially be affected.

 

Jones is still in operation and is located next to what was formerly the Montrose Chemical dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane ( DDT ) manufacturing plant.  A spokesman person for the company says the Montrose Corporation of California is working on studies pertaining to the chemical problems at the site. They are also working to create a cleanup plan to prevent employees and locals from suffering the side effects of benzene exposure.

 

State Implements Cleanup Agreement

 

 

Under the new cleanup agreement proposed by the state, Jones will be supplementing the Montrose work by further investigating the contamination at the site, which is part of the Montrose Chemical Superfund Site. The site was added as a Superfund Site in 1989 by the EPA.

 

“We’re ordering JCI Jones Chemicals to take the steps needed to prevent hazardous chemicals from spreading into drinking water wells or entering into the air and nearby buildings,” explains Mike Montgomery, the Assistant Director for Superfund, Region 9, EPA. “This work gives a boost to our continuing efforts to identify and address all of the contamination.”

 

Previous sampling of the groundwater and soil at the site confirmed that the JCI Jones Chemicals plant is contaminated with benzene and other carcinogenic chemicals. This obviously causes concern among health officials and workers at the plant since exposure to benzene has been linked to various forms of cancer, including leukemia and MDS.

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An ongoing debate continues over the safety of a chemical that is commonly used in plastic products, such as baby bottles. The chemical in question is bisphenol A (BPA), which contains benzene, a known carcinogen.

The FDA announced earlier this week that they have hired a panel of outside experts to review data regarding the safety of the chemical. Bisphenol A can be found in various plastic products, from water bottles to milk jugs.

Study Conducted

A recent study conducted by Journal of the American Medical Association has found that bisphenol A can lead to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The study included 1, 455 adults and found that BPA concentrations were higher in those with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Those with the highest concentrations of BPA also had nearly three times the odds of cardiovascular disease, in comparison to those with lower concentrations.

"One of the reasons for its toxicity is that bisphenol A contains benzene. Phenol is a chemical term for hydroxy-benzene, and we know that benzene itself is highly toxic," said Neil Carmen, Ph.D., Clean Air Program director for the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Problems in the Past

These recent reports don’t mark the first time that the government has questioned plastics and the existence of BPA. In past decades more than 100 studies have been conducted linking the chemical and its contents, such as benzene, to various forms of leukemia, obesity and hyperactivity.

As can be expected, plastic companies dispute these allegations claiming the studies aren’t conclusive and encouraging consumers to continue purchasing plastic products.

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Here are a few news stories concerning Leukemia from other Blog sites.

• New leukemia signal could point way to better treatment, Stanford ... - New leukemia signal could point way to better treatment, Stanford researchers find STANFORD, Calif. - Cancer researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered a promising new chemotherapy target for a deadly form ...

• Putting his head where his heart is … Pat Pedraja, Boy in Florida ... - Pat Pedraja, Boy in Florida With Leukemia Selling Ad Space On Head to Raise Money ..... ScaredMonkeys.Com is powered by WordPress. ...

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Residents of New Jersey recently proved their role as a supportive community when over 445 people registered to be potential bone marrow donors for a woman living with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). These volunteers were selected from a larger number of people who supposedly donated more than $23,000 to the bone marrow registry to help a local mother suffering from this fatal form of cancer.

Community Unites

 

Lisa Mottesi, a township mother of three was recently diagnosed with AML. After undergoing chemotherapy, Mottesi now needs a life-saving bone marrow transplant and those around her are taking action to help. Friends, family members and strangers alike have plastered posters throughout their small town of Millburn to ensure that everyone would be well-informed about Mottesi’s condition and understand what they can do to help her and others living with leukemia.

According to Mr. Billstein from DKMS Americas, a world renowned bone marrow transplant center, an estimated one percent of the donors who registered will actually be eligible to donate their bone marrow cells within the next twelve months to victims who could otherwise lose their lives to the illness.

"If we combine the best practices developed by DKMS Worldwide with the generosity in America, we will be able to register millions here in America,” explains Billstein, “thus saving thousands and thousands of those ten thousands who desperately wait to find a matching donor every day."

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A study published in the May issue of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management  indicates that a walking exercise program can  reduce fatigue levels in those AML( acute myelogenous leukemia) patients  who are being treated with chemotherapy.

Dr. Yeur-Hur Lai of National Taiwan University in Taipei and colleagues randomly assigned 22 hospitalized AML patients  to either a walking group or a control group receiving standard ward care.  The walking group walked 12 minutes each day for 5 days a week for a period of 3 weeks.  All patients were evaluated before chemotherapy and on day 7,14 and 21 of the chemotherapy.

The investigation found that those in the walking had lower levels of fatigue intensity and interference than the control.   They also found that symptom distress, anxiety and depression were lower in the walking group.

"Taken together, our preliminary findings suggest that a brief exercise-driven program, such as the walking exercise program, should be started at the beginning of chemotherapy to decrease chemotherapy-related fatigue," Lai's team concluded. "Standardizing the walking exercise program as part of a chemotherapy-related care model should be feasible and encouraged to improve cancer-related fatigue experiences."

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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)  patients who are also  using the drug methotrexate may also be facing an increased risk of lymphoma, leukemia, myeloma and lung cancer.   Researchers in Australia, where over 2 percent of the adults have RA, studied cancer incidence in RA patients who also used methotrexate (MTX) .  An article in the June issue of Arthritis Care & Research reports that their findings suggest an increased risk of malignancies in patients treated with MTX.

The study focused on 459 RA patients, 309 women and 150 men, regularly seen by 1 of 6 rheumatologists based in Melbourne. All had started treatment with MTX prior to June 1986.  The majority had no previous history of immunosuppressant therapy. 61 percent were rheumatoid factor positive.

Those RA patients also on MTX were found to have an estimated  50 percent excess risk of developing cancer in any form.  Risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was greater than 5 times the risk in the general population.  They also have 3 times the risk of melanoma and lung cancer. 

The study's major limitation is that there was no control group of RA patients who were not using methotrexate.  However, Dr. Rachelle Buchbinder, the study's lead author, feels that the study will have important implications in regard to the risk of  melanoma in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

"Further investigation is needed to determine whether this risk is unique to Australia and what role MTX, immunosuppression per se, and/or environmental factors such as exposure to UV radiation play in its development," Dr. Buchbinder stresses. "Our findings, taken together with other studies investigating the risk of skin cancer in patients with RA, may support a role for regular skin cancer screening for all patients with RA, particularly those receiving immunosuppressive therapy."

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A study done by researchers at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and published in the June issue of Pediatrics concluded that there are substantial regional differences  in the occurrence of childhood cancer.  It also demonstrated that other factors such as age, race and gender also influence child cancer rates.

Researchers with the CDC in Atlanta identified and studied nearly 36,500 cases of childhood cancer to determine how a patient's physical characteristics (demographic information) and place of residence (geographic information) may play a role in the overall frequency of the disease. The cases were sorted by age, gender, race, ethnicity, and geography.

From the data studied they learned that the chances of being diagnosed with childhood cancer were:    

• Northeast: 179.12 per million
• Midwest: 165.50 per million
• West: 165.26 per million
• South: 158.65 per million  

In other findings it was learned that boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with lymphoid leukemia while  kidney cancer, thyroid cancer and malignant melanomas were  more common for the girls.  It was also learned that cancer was more prevalent in whites than any other race, that teens from 15 to 19 were diagnosed more frequently than children under age 14.

Researchers hope that this study will assist in better understanding and tracking of childhood cancers.

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If you make it easy then maybe people will be more likely to step up and help.  Looks like that strategy worked here.  Cheek swabs to find donors is a much less invasive method of finding a bone marrow match than a blood draw.

A B.C. pilot project using free, Web mail-order cheek swab kits to recruit young and ethnically diverse bone marrow stem cell donors, is being deemed such a whopping success that it's now being rolled out across the country.

Ethnic groups are being targeted because 85 per cent of would-be donors in the bone marrow registry are Caucasian, which makes it highly difficult to find matches for ethnic patients. Younger donors are sought because they are the healthiest.

The national program follows a Canadian Blood Services (CBS) project over the past four months in B.C., during which cheek swab kits were mailed to those between the ages of 17 and 50 after they registered for them online.

The kits contain long sticks resembling Q-tips to scrape skin cells from the inside of cheeks. The kit is sent back to CBS in Ottawa; the individual's DNA is then extracted, typed and entered in a database.

Before the cheek swab kits were introduced, would-be donors had to go to a laboratory for a blood draw, a far more expensive, inconvenient process. Now the cheek swab kits will largely replace laboratory blood collection for DNA typing.

Source:  Canada.com

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Why would it be important to list how a person learned about the connection between AML and benzene? 

This article, I found,  lists that as the headline.  The person who filed the lawsuit learned about the connection between AML and Benzene from a TV ad.  The reason it may be important is that the case may have a problem with the statute of limitations

The Statute of Limitations is a law which limits the amount of time that you have to file a lawsuit.  In some states it can be very short (1 year) and in others it can be 3 years or more.  In a lot of the states, the law is written in such a way that the statute of limitations "clock" doesn't start until after you learn of the connection between the disease and benzene. 

This is called the discovery rule.  The time starts to run you discover the connection between your injury and the benzene.  This is not true in all states, so you have to carefully read the law to find out.

Here's the article:  "TV Ad informs laborer of links to disease"

Had it not been for a television advertisement, laborer Steve Ivkovcic may not have known the reason he developed acute myelogenous leukemia was because of benzene-containing products he was exposed to at work.

Ivkovcic, a machinist and tool and die maker, filed a benzene suit against 11 defendant corporations in Madison County Circuit Court Feb. 7, alleging benzene caused his disease.

"Steve Ivkovcic did not know that the products (he was exposed to at work) contained benzene, or that benzene could cause Acute Myelogenous Leukemia until approximately August of 2007 when he saw a television advertisement," the complaint states.

Ivkovcic was employed at Pactiv in Wheeling, Ill. from 1986 until 2007, and at Johnson Motors in Waukegan, Ill. from 1970 until 1986.

He claims that during his employment at Johnson Motors, he was exposed to benzene and benzene-containing products which were manufactured and/or sold by the defendants, which include BP Products North America Inc., BP Corporation North America Inc., BP Amoco Chemical Company, Exxon Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Exxon Mobil Oil, Radiator Specialty Company, Sunoco, Inc., Sunoco (R&M), United States Steel and Aristech Chemical.

Ivkovcic claims the benzene-containing products consisted of products known as "Naptha" which was manufactured by Amoco and Mobil.

According to the complaint, Naptha was manufactured at Amoco at its Wood River refinery.

He was diagnosed with AML in the summer of 2006, the complaint states.

AML is a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow - the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.

Ivkovcic claims the defendants were negligent by failing to use ordinary care to eliminate benzene from products and failed to provide a safe place for him to work.

He also claims the defendants failed to give adequate warnings of the harmful effects associated with exposure to benzene and benzene-containing products and failed to provide adequate safety equipment and/or failed to recommend adequate safety and control measures.

According to Ivkovcic, his disease has disabled and disfigured him, caused him to incur medical expenses, and has caused great physical pain and mental anguish.

Represented by Thomas Schwartz of Holloran, White & Schwartz in St. Louis and L. Jeth Jones of Houston, Ivkovcic is seeking damages in excess of $150,000, plus costs of the suit.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Nicholas Byron.

Source:  St.Clair Record

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I found this interesting blog post on Myelodysplastic Syndromes.  It discusses whether MDS will always lead to cancer.  It has a lot of good information.

Primary MDS represents a family of diseases, most prevalent in those over the age of 50 to 60, that involve unwanted variations in the function of the bone marrow in its role as the storehouse and processing center of the stem cells that ultimately turn into blood cells. These MD syndromes are called primary because they do not develop after a patients has been treated aggressively for cancer by radiation or chemotherapy which are known to cause MDS as a secondary, or side-effect. Nor do primary MDS patients have a known long-term exposure to hematologically carcinogenic chemicals like benzene, which can bring on MDS and leukemia.

Source:  http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/dbio/2008/01/the-myelodyspla.html

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This entire story amazes me.  What the heck is Benzene doing in drinks?  I'm practically speechless over it.

Nearly one out of ten of 200 beverage samples analyzed in a recent study by the EPA and FDA still had benzene levels above the U.S. EPA drinking water limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb).

Many manufacturers have reformulated their products to minimize or eliminate benzene. In these reformulated products, benzene levels were 1.1 ppb or less. About 71 percent of beverage samples contained less than 1 ppb.

...

Benzene is not something you want to be consuming as it has been linked to leukemia and other problems. It is usually found in pollutants such as car exhaust fumes. Ironically, the main reason it’s in soft drinks these days is because some manufacturers have added vitamin C to their beverages in an effort to make them seem more healthy.

Source: http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20080129092441196

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Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a blood disease of your blood. AML is when you do not have enough red and white blood cells.  Another way to describe AML is that your blood grows Blasts which are a early type of white blood cell.  It grows these blasts so fast that they basically push out all of the other white  and red blood cells.  If you have AML Leukemia you will not have enough red blood cells and not enough white blood cells because they are outnumbered.

AML is often a result of exposure to some sort of environmental toxin, such as benzene or radiation

Other names that you might hear for AML are Acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

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Yes, Cigarette smoking is associated with Leukemia.  The following is an abstract from a paper from 1993.

Cigarette smoking may be a risk factor for leukemia. No detailed biological mechanism has been proposed, but a causal link is made plausible by evidence of systemic effects of cigarette smoke and the presence in cigarette smoke of chemicals that have been associated with leukemia risk.

...

CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking is associated with increased risk for leukemia and may lead to leukemias of specific morphologic and chromosomal types. The association varies with age.

Read the whole Abstract here:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8246285

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Just a quick post listing some of the common symptoms related to Acute Myelogenous Luekemia

• Shortness of Breath
  
• Fatigue (Feeling Sleepy or Tired)
  
• Bruise easily
  
• Cuts heal very slowly or you bleed easily
  
• Repeated infections
  
• Joint Pain
  
• Mild fevers

Don't give yourself a diagnosis of AML based on this list.  Go see your doctor and discuss it with him or her.

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Canadian scientists are investigating a novel way of treating a deadly form of leukemia: By targeting the stem cells that allow the cancer to return after chemotherapy has resulted in apparent remission.

Using an experimental drug, researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto were able to cure some mice transplanted with the human form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The discovery offers promise that the drug could have the same effect in humans with the disease.

Read more about this at the Source:  Yahoo News Canada

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From a press release from the company...

Lorus Therapeutics Inc. ('Lorus'), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products and technologies for the management of cancer, today announced a plan for a new clinical investigation of GTI-2040 as a single-agent in patients with high grade myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Source:  Yahoo News

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A new study has found that survival rates among elderly patients affected by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has increased by using a different treatment method.

The treatment involves cutting the standard chemotherapy time in half, but still using the same combination and doses of drugs and antibodies.

Dr Luke Coyle from Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital says the new, shorter burst of treatment has effective results.

"It's very exciting to have the scientific proof that you can do it better and you can treat patients in a shorter period of time, which will hopefully allow them to tolerate the procedure much better as well," he said.

"It's a very difficult thing in your life to have six months of therapy punctuated by regular hospital visits and hopefully this will perhaps be compressed into a much shorter period, perhaps three months."

He says the practice is now likely to be adopted in all Australian hospitals.

Source:  Yahoo News

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I found this on the Mayo Clinic website.  Great stuff explaining the difference between the two diseases.

Follow this link:  Hodgkin's v. non-Hodgkin's  What's the difference?

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I found this article about a method for inhibiting leukemia cells. 

A team of researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center has discovered an entirely new mechanism of action for a novel pharmacological agent currently in clinical trials in patients - the kinase inhibitor BAY 43-9006 - which was designed to disrupt the survival pathways of tumor cells....

"We were surprised to find that the killing effects of Bay 43-9006 in human leukemia cells had very little to do with inhibition of the Raf-1 pathway," Grant said. "Instead, the major mechanism of lethality of this compound involved down-regulation of a protein known as Mcl-1, which plays a critical role in protecting leukemic cells from apoptosis.

Source:  Medicalnewstoday.com

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A little of topic here.  I'm not going to opine about anything legal...

Team in Training supports people who raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I had a friend who did this and ran an Olympic distance triathlon in Florida last year (approx. 3/4 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 10K run). The Palm Beach group raised $300,000 last year for Leukemia research.

Palm Beach Article

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The many thousands of cancer patients in the Gulf Coast region who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina may have trouble over the coming weeks getting access to the cancer treatment they need. To ensure that these patients, many of whom are in need of acute care, do not have their treatments interrupted, the Society is reaching out to treatment facilities in the surrounding region to find out which ones are able to help displaced patients from the evacuated areas. Patients are urged to contact the Society's Information Resource Center (IRC) at 1(800) 955-4572 to receive referrals to treatment facilities in the areas to which they have relocated. Specialists in the IRC can also answer questions about patients' eligibility for financial aid offered by the Society.

Source:  RedNova.com

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The FDA turned down a Johnson & Johnson application for a new experimental leukemia drug.  The drug was called tipifarnib.

Tipifarnib is an oral medication studied to treat acute myeloid leukemia in elderly patients who are not candidates for standard chemotherapy.

Source:  Reuters at Yahoo

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Umbilical cord blood is a potential source of stem cells. Aplastic Anemia can be treated with stem cells.  It is a possible resource for the many people who cannot match up with a bone marrow donor.  This article talks about the Stem Cell Therapeutic & Research Act of 2005 (HR2520).  That act will provide funding to develop a national inventory of cord blood available to people with blood diseases like Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Aplastic Anemia.

Source:  Yahoo News

Additional Links:  www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org

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Doctors were surprised that this drug they were testing to relieve the symptoms of MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndromes) was actually a very effective way of treating the disease.

Specialists said Revlimid now looks like a breakthrough and the first effective treatment for many people with myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, which is even more common than leukemia.

"It may be, if not eradicating the disease, putting it into what I would call deep remission," said Dr. David Johnson, a cancer specialist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center who is familiar with but had no role in the research.

Revlimid "is not yet on the market but almost certainly will be" because of these findings, he said.

Source:  AP at Yahoo

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This is from a press release concerning Zevalin.  Apparently the University of Pittsburgh has released findings that Zevalin may be effective is treating Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with advanced disease.

According to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) study, patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) previously treated with chemotherapy and adult stem cell transplantation can safely tolerate Zevalin^TM (ibritumomab tiuxetan), a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody that targets radiation directly to a tumor.

"Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who have failed standard chemotherapy and have received stem cell transplantation have few treatment options available," said Samuel Jacobs, M.D., lead investigator and associate director for clinical investigations at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Centers. "As a result, it is crucial to evaluate novel therapies in the advanced disease setting. Our preliminary results indicate that Zevalin is a safe option for these patients."

Read the full release here:  Zevalin Safe and Effective for non-Hodgkins Lymphoma patients with advanced disease

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Found this link today on an AML treatment Genasense.  The company, Genta, released some information indicating that the drug appears to correlate with a particular molecule.  Read the article, but basically it means that they think that the Genasense does what it is designed to do when treating Acute Myelocytic Leukemia.

Source: RedNova Reports Show Correlations of Genasense(R) Levels With Target and Biomarker Effects in Patients With Acute Myelocytic Leukemia and Prostate Cancer

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CHAPEL HILL -- Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified an enzyme that helps trigger the development of leukemia, a cancer of blood cells.

The enzyme hDOT1L activates a set of genes that plays a key role in the rare and largely incurable acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This disease affects less than 2 percent of the estimated 16,000 individuals diagnosed with acute leukemia nationwide each year. The discovery, based on research using bone marrow cells from mice, offers a potential target for new drugs against this form of leukemia, the researchers said.

Source:  University of North Carolina Press Release

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A number of our clients have CML as a result of benzene exposure.  Many of them are on Gleevec and they find it very helpful.

A new compound may offer an alternative treatment for people with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who are resistant to treatment with the drug Gleevec, according to two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, in Anaheim, Calif.

Source:  Yahoo News

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What is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL)?  Well, it is one of the most common cancers in the United States and ranks as the 5th most common. Approximately 50,000 cases a year are diagnosed. It is a cancer where tumors develop in different areas of your body.  Those tumors develop from the white blood cells.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is one of those cancers that we believe is connected to benzene exposure.

Treatment for Non-Hodgkin's involves the expected list of cancer treatments:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Stem Cell Transplant and
• drugs such as Rituxan and Zevalin

For more information on NHL got to WebMD

For more information on Legal Issues relating to NHL and Benzene go to Our benzene website

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I am not going to try to lay out ALL treatment options here.  Those are certainly best discussed with doctors.  Here are some basic treatment options that we have seen with some of our clients with benzene related leukemia use.

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation Therapy
• Bone Marrow Transplant
• Drug Therapy

If you are interested in this, I'm just going to provide some links here so you can read about this more in depth on medical websites.

www.mdanderson.com

www.webmd.com I have always liked Webmd.com because their material is usually pretty easy to read and easy to navigate.

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Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) is when your bone marrow makes blood cells that do not work very well.  This different from Aplastic Anemia where the bone marrow just stops making the blood cells.

The symptoms are similar to Aplastic Anemia in that you would have fatigue or tiredness, bleeding or bruising and be prone to infections.  This is because all of your different types of blood cells are not working like they should be.

Just like Aplastic Anemia, we believe that Myelodysplastic Syndromes is due to chemical exposure, particularly benzene.

Some Myelodysplastic Syndromes Resources:

Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation, Inc.

National Cancer Institute

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Leukemia in general is a blood disease.  There are several parts that make up your blood.  Your blood is made in your bone marrow.  When your bone marrow stops making your red blood cells, white blood cells AND your Platelets then you might be diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. (A related disease is MDS, Myelodsyplastic Syndromes).

Symptoms of Aplastic Anemia include, fatigue or tiredness, bruising or bleeding and repeated infections.  Each of these symptoms is related to the lack of certain blood cells (white red or platelets).

Aplastic Anemia is related to chemical exposure and we believe that it is particularly related to benzene exposure.

Aplastic Anemia Resources:

http://www.aplastic.org/diseases.shtml

Mayo Clinic

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AML -- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia --

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a disease of your blood.  Your bone marrow makes your blood Your blood cells are basically made up of platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells.  If you have AML Leukemia you will not have enough red blood cells and not enough AML is not inherited and you cannot pass it to someone else. 

AML is most often caused by some sort of environmental cause such as exposure to benzene and/or radiation. Other names that you might hear for AML are Acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

Symptoms

• Shortness of Breath
• Fatigue (Feeling Sleepy or Tired)
• Bruise easily
• Cuts heal very slowly or you bleed easily
• Repeated infections
• Joint Pain
• Mild fevers

How do you diagnose AML? You diagnose this with a blood test.  The cells need to be examined under a microscope to see if they are the correct type.

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