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

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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A Chance to Save A Life

For those suffering from blood disorders caused by benzene exposure, such as aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and acute myelogenous leukemia, bone marrow stem cell transplants can be a life saving therapy. May is National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) month, is a great time to consider a life saving marrow donation. For the entire month the usual $52 fee for eligibility testing through the NMDP will be waived.  

Modern Marrow Donation

Patients in need of bone marrow transplants require the living stem cells found in healthy bone marrow. While bone marrow transplants of yesteryear involve minor surgery to remove marrow from the hip bones of a donor, today's procedure is far less invasive. The current method, peripheral blood stem cell donation, involves a shot which draws some of the needed stem cells out of the marrow and into the blood. The stem cells are then filtered from the blood. Though the procedure no longer involves actual bone marrow, most still call it a bone marrow donation.

Matching

The most likely match for a successful bone marrow stem cell transplant is a full brother or sister of the recipient.  Other family members, or even complete strangers may be a match.  The NMDP has a database of volunteers willing to donate their bone marrow to strangers. 

For more information on becoming a bone marrow stem cell donor visit the National Marrow Donor  Program website at: www.marrow.org/.

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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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The 'Changing Face of Cancer Survey'  is an online survey conducted in August  with 2 representative samples of the UK population, 872 and 1000 participants.  It was sponsored by Roche Products, LTD in collaboration with Leukaemia CARE.   Roche makes pharmaceuticals and Leukaemia CARE is a national charity that supports people affected by blood cancers.

Survey respondents believed that chances of living longer with cancer have improved over the last ten years but at the same time seem to be more worried about 10 different types of cancer than they were ten years ago.   It also came out that non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma was the cancer that worried people the least.  This is ironic since it's the sixth most common cancer in the UK and has a faster growing rate than stomach, cervical or bowel cancers.  Sixty-three percent of those surveyed did not know that NHL is a cancer and more than half could not even guess what NHL is.

Tony Gavin, CEO of Leukaemia CARE, commented: "It does trouble us that the severity and prevalence of NHL is not understood by the public - that many don't even recognise it as a form of cancer - because it is a disease with a high, and increasing, incidence. More than 10,000 new cases of NHL are diagnosed every year."

"We're not suggesting people should worry more about NHL, or any cancer for that matter, but as people's general awareness of cancer improves, we would hope that this translates to them being more alert about their own health and having any physical changes checked out." "Our work is to ensure people do know about NHL, can recognise its symptoms and get the best possible care in a timely fashion," he said.
 

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Garrett has an 8-year-old twin brother, Tanner.  Garrett also has Aplastic Anemia.  Aplastic Anemia is a rare, serious blood disorder in which the normal  production of blood cells - red, white and platelets - slows or stops.

Garrett is lucky to have an identical twin.  Few who are diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia have a healthy identical  twin  that they can turn to for a bone marrow transplant which can develop a new immune system.

Dr. Emad Salman, the youngster’s hematologist/oncologist at The Children’s Hospital at HealthPark in LeeCounty, has cared for thousands of children with blood disorders and cancer.

He said this is a first in his 11 years at the hospital.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a child who needs a bone marrow transplant who has a twin brother who will be the donor,” he said.

In preparation for the transplant Tanner was given iron pills to boost his red blood cell count and Garrett started chemotherapy to wipe out his immune system and be ready to start a new one.

Researchers are fascinated as to why only one of the twins became sick and not the other.  Tanner spent a few days in the hospital while they did the blood draw.

“It’s going to suck,” Tanner said.

“Because he has to get poked,” Garrett explained about his brother’s blood draw for his bone marrow. “I get one but I’m going to be asleep. Hah.”

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