AML 74 articles

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S Department of Justice, and the Jefferson County Board of Health in Alabama have reached a settlement with Drummond Company over allegations that Drummond’s ABC Coke facility north of Birmingham, Alabama, was releasing 10 times the amount cancer-causing benzene into the air than it was reporting. As part of the settlement, Drummond will pay $775,000 in penalties, which will be equally split between the EPA and the Jefferson County Board of Health. The company will also complete a supplemental environmental project so that it can establish semi-annual monitoring for leaks using a thermal imaging ... Read More

Purdue University researchers are developing a series of drug compounds to treat recurrence of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive and deadly blood cancer. About 19,520 people are diagnosed with AML each year, and about 10,670 die from it, according to the American Cancer Society. About 30 percent of AML patients have an FLT3 enzyme mutation that makes the disease more aggressive. Patients treated with new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Radapt and Gilteritinib, both FLT3 inhibitors – have shown good initial response to treating leukemia. But AML patients treated with FLT3 inhibitors often relapse ... Read More

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug for a deadly type of leukemia linked to workplace exposure of benzene. Pfizer Inc.’s Daurismo, which contains the active ingredient glasdegib, is a daily, oral medication for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, in adults 75 years of age or older who are unable to be treated with intensive induction chemotherapy. Daurismo is taken in combination with a low-dose of the chemotherapy cytarabine (LDAC). It is also the first and only FDA-approved Hedgehog pathway inhibitor for AML. AML is a rapidly progressing bone marrow cancer that has a ... Read More

The Valero oil refinery near the border of Manchester, Texas, is accused of downplaying the amount of chemicals released during Hurricane Harvey. The Houston Press says that shortly after the roofs of storage tanks were submerged in flooding waters, releasing massive amounts of benzene and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Valero told officials that they “found no detectable levels of emissions in the community.” Texas Environmental Advocacy Services founder Juan Parras described the odor in the air throughout Manchester as smelling like a gas stove. “I was afraid to even light a match,” said Parras. “I kept thinking everything would burst ... Read More

Air quality tests have been requested for the North Weymouth, Massachusetts, area to check for benzene pollution levels. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston has announced that he will ask the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct air quality tests in the surrounding neighborhoods of North Weymouth where Spectra Energy has proposed the placement of a natural gas compressor station. The community has fought the installation of the station, The Patriot Ledger reports, because they are concerned about the reduced air quality and possible benzene pollution. Lynch advised the reason for the request is to compare the air samples to those gathered by an independent ... Read More

A man who formerly lived in Wood River, Illinois, claims his leukemia was caused by benzene exposure. He is holding the Wood River Refinery responsible. Dennis Determan filed a lawsuit against Rust-Oleum Corporation and Turtle Wax, Inc. claiming they did not consider the safety, health and welfare of residents living near the refinery facilities. The suit was filed on June 20 in the Madison County Circuit Court. According to The Madison – St. Clair Record, Determan lived near the Wood River Refinery for 20 years where he was allegedly exposed to benzene and chemicals that contain benzene. Determan blames his diagnosis ... Read More

Food & Water Watch says that greed keeps Playa del Rey open. The oil field is the site of one of three gas storage facilities in Los Angeles County, California. The Santa Monica Observer reports that concerns over leakage from the storage field has been a thorn in the side of Food & Water Watch, Ballona Institute, and some of the members of the Los Angeles City Council, namely Mike Bonin of CD11 and Paul Koretz of CD5. Every one of them are calling for a shut-down for two reasons: health and safety, and lessening climate impact. Although the Playa del Rey facility is the smallest of the ... Read More

In two unrelated lawsuits, Turtle Wax, Inc. is being sued over diseases allegedly caused by exposure to benzene contained in its products. Matthew Eaton, an employee of Turtle Wax, filed a lawsuit claiming he developed acute Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) after long-term exposure to benzene in the wax, reports Madison-St. Clair Record. The lawsuit was filed on May 12 in the Madison County Circuit Court, claiming the company was responsible for his development of a life-threatening, benzene-related disease. According to Eaton, he will now endure a lifetime of physical pain and mental suffering due to the disease and its required treatment. ... Read More

A lawsuit against two oil and gas companies for oilfield cleanup is being revived by a Louisiana appellate court, Law360 reports. The trial for the lawsuit ended in September 2015 with a finding that BP was primarily responsible for pollution at the Sweet Lake Land and Oil Company property. The site was contaminated with chemicals including benzene, and three companies were made to submit a cleanup plan to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. The jury decided that two other companies, Oleum Operating Co. and ASKM LC, were not to be held responsible. Those findings are now being reversed. In late May, ... Read More

A mechanic who was exposed to benzene and was later diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) won a lawsuit settlement against former employers, the Daily Hornet reports. Michael Butts was a maintenance and repair mechanic for 49 years and was regularly exposed to benzene for long periods of time on the job. Benzene, a key ingredient in gasoline, was a common ingredient in the many chemicals used during his employment. Butts worked for several employers over the years, all of which used benzene-containing products such as gasoline, oil, solvents, adhesives, and degreasers. When Butts was diagnosed with life-threatening AML, he filed a lawsuit ... Read More