Benzene exposure on military bases increases leukemia risk by 40%
As a chemical that is colorless or light yellow at room temperature, benzene has been documented in the medical literature for causing leukemia for over a century.
If one is frequently exposed to benzene, the solvent may cause abnormalities in the DNA that controls the development of blood cells in the bone marrow, eventually triggering the onset of leukemia. It is worthy of note that leukemia develops only within 5 to 20 years from the person’s first contact with benzene.
Everyone who spent time at one or more military bases during the last century is at risk of coming to struggle with leukemia, as nearly all of these installations were contaminated with benzene and other leukemia-causing substances. Ethylene oxide and formaldehyde also have a significant association with leukemia, and they might have been present on military bases, too. Furthermore, PFAS can accumulate in the blood and the internal organs, which might cause a form of bone marrow cancer such as leukemia.
These chemicals were lurking in the drinking water of numerous military bases during the last century, and efforts to clean these facilities are still ongoing. PFAS do not break down in the environment, and once they enter the body, they remain there for a long time. The source of these substances on military bases was firefighters’ use of the fire suppressant AFFF, which sometimes contains up to 98% PFAS. The following are the eligibility criteria you must meet to file a toxic exposure claim if you spent time at military bases across the country:
- as a veteran, you must have been discharged from the military other than dishonorably
- you must have been exposed to toxic chemicals that are linked to leukemia
- you must have a leukemia diagnosis that has a strong connection to toxic exposure
- as a family member, you must send in evidence of your stay at the military base
- as a civilian, you must provide our attorneys with your employment records
Still, if you meet all these requirements, you might not be entitled to financial compensation, as deciding whether a case is eligible is a complex process. For this reason, we will ask you to send our legal team your military records, which you must retrieve, and your medical records. These documents will serve as a starting point in evaluating your case and will also help our attorneys when filing your claim if you qualify for compensation.
