What is AML?
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, or AML, is a cancer of the blood. Exposure to certain chemicals, such as benzene, is proven to cause damage to DNA in the developing bone marrow cells of some individuals. This damage causes an accumulation of immature cells in the marrow and blood and the cancer can rapidly spread throughout the body. In the five year period between 1995 and 2000, only 19.5% of adult patients diagnosed with AML survived.
Known Causes of AML:
Benzene
For more than 50 years, studies have proven conclusively that benzene exposure is a direct cause of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Benzene is a sweet smelling, colorless liquid that is volatile and highly flammable. It is an industrial chemical widely used in the production of medicinal chemicals, shoes, dyes, detergents, explosives, linoleum, oil cloth, and artificial leather.
Irradiation
Individuals exposed to radiation on the job, through medical treatments such as radiation therapy for cancer, or in the environment can develop AML.
Chemotherapy
Benzene is used in some chemotherapy treatments. Patients exposed to exogenous toxicants such as benzene during chemotherapy are at risk for developing AML.
Cigarette Smoke
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia is among the list of cancers that have been linked to cigarette smoke: both through direct exposure and through breathing someone else’s smoke.
AML Symptoms and Diagnosis
The average patient diagnosed with AML is 65 years of age. The most typical symptom is chronic fatigue. Other common symptoms include unexplained bruising, frequent infection, slow healing, and prolonged or excessive bleeding from minor cuts or surgery.
AML has a latency period, or time from toxin exposure to the time the disease is diagnosed, of between 8 months and 40 years. Direct and/or prolonged exposure to benzene has, in some cases, caused Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in less than a year.
Benzene AML Lawyer
It has been known for nearly 40 years that benzene causes AML. If you were negligently exposed to benzene and developed AML, you may have a right to seek financial compensation. Contact a Benzene AML Lawyer at SEGLaw today for a free, no obligation appointment to discuss your case.