Submit your Benzene claim details for a free, no obligation case review.
Get Started:
more_legal_areas benzeneBenzene has been identified as one of the unhealthiest air pollutants. Gasoline emissions are the predominant source of benzene emissions, but benzene in the environment also comes from burning fields and forests.
Contaminated Air
After the September 11th attacks, the outpour of selfless acts was tremendous.
Firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel raced to save
victims at the disaster site, but recently medical experts believe years
from now they have a risk of developing cancer. There was 1.2 million tons
of debris that was at Ground Zero containing dangerous chemicals including
benzene. The chemical is a carcinogen that has been found to cause leukemia.
Cars pose high risk for benzene exposure
A study found that new cars contain vinyl and plastic materials that emit
gases containing carcinogenic chemical benzene. This exposure to benzene
is characterized by that “new car smell”. Commuters driving in
polluted cities may think that using the air conditioning instead of opening
the windows to pollution is posing as a better health measure. In fact,
“it’s about two to ten times more polluted inside a vehicle on
a congested freeway or a major street,” according to Mel Zeldin of
the Air Quality Management District. Carcinogenic chemicals, including benzene,
can become trapped inside your car from the exhaust of the vehicle in front
of you. The 1996 estimates from the EPA by the North Carolina Public Interest
Research Group showed that 63 counties exceeded the level for benzene in
vehicle exhaust.
$11.2 million waste case settlement for benzene infested New York waters
One of the largest hazardous waste case settlements was negotiated in December 2001, because Exxon Mobil Corporation was illegally polluting New York waters with benzene. The settlement amount is inclusive of $8.2 million in civil penalties and $3 million for buying and restoring land in New York City. The suit was first filed in 1996 by the government against Mobil Oil Corp. for mismanaging benzene-contaminated waste at its petroleum products storage and distribution terminal. The human carcinogen, benzene, was a regulated hazardous waste as of 1990. The settlement had Exxon admit liability for discharging hazardous waste between the years 1991-1993 into two large artificial ponds without a permit and legally required environmental protection. EPA officials found through testing that the levels of benzene were 20 times greater than allowed.
Four new lawsuits were recently filed in a New Jersey Superior Court against the now defunct Mercer Rubber Company. Plaintiffs in the cases claim that toxic waste from one of t...
Recent reports indicate the presence of two ingredients found in popular children''s drinks that mix together to form the cancer-causing chemical benzene. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) sent a request to the Food and Drug Administration yesterda...
The Food and Drug Administration re-opened an investigation into benzene contaminated soft drinks when recent tests identified levels of benzene in some soft drinks were up to five times the legal limit for drinking water.
Ben...