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There was a question raised by a doctor
regarding whether someone's liver cancer could be caused from benzene.
Most likely not. Benzene is known
to cause aplastic anemia which is damage to red blood cells, white
blood cells and platelets.
One man who only worked the first week on the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup - in his own boat - died in 1998 of what would appear to be aplastic anemia. His red blood cell count dropped to 2.8 when normal range is 4.5-6; his white blood cell count dropped to 1 when normal is 4.5-10.7; and his platelet count dropped to 22 when normal is 150-450
Now, benzene is known to cause leukemia; but liver cancer? Not one of the things that benzene is known to do. On the other hand, there is a chemical that is known to cause liver and kidney problems and BLOOD damage. It has been used in abundance in the USA for the last 50 years in hundreds of products. Learn to read the warnings given on products you use in automotive & household cleaners, too; EPA doesn't require consumers to be notified of 2-butoyxethanol which is also known as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether Now if you have 2 employees who use products containing such, you are required to give them MSDS information on such; but if you are a sole US citizen - you have to fend for yourself. This chemical basically causes all the symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome; and it was the chemical which harmed many who worked on the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup. Sadly, doctors think it is safe; so if you ask them to check more in your blood (which is the key to knowing whether or not you have been harmed by this chemical) or you even ask them to look at info on the chemical; they will not. It also damages the bone marrow, so bones don't heal; it damages the central nervous system causing all-the-time depression, memory loss, suicidal tenancies, even a change in personality: to hostile, aggressive, really hard to live with or work around. It damages your skin, defatting it (leathery skin); it damages the eyes (holes in retina); it causes endocrine disruption: abnormal blood sugar, abnormal blood pressure, abnormal thyroid; searing headaches in the back of the head (pituitary?); reproductive harm; damages male testes. Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and 2-butoxyethanol are both listed as solvents the Gulf War troops were exposed to. Troops then and now may be exposed to too much of this chemical in cleaning weapons, in areas where pesticides are sprayed with this as a component, and in jet fuel sometimes used to 'burn up' the out house stuff. However, with all the tests that have been done on the Gulf War vets of 1990-1991, these chemicals have not been looked into. Why not? Oh, they're safe, you know. Are we poisoning our own troops? It was a surprise to learn that EPA has tested both of these chemicals for endocrine disruption, because they are considered pesticides AND they are poisons. It is also interesting to note that solvents have been known to affect people - second handedly. In other words there is such a thing as second hand solvent exposure: through breath and skin contact of those who are recently exposed and expelling what they can of it. The major chemical companies are asking EPA to lift the air quality controls of this chemical ... oh, it doesn't cause cancer or reproductive harm in the studies we've done the past 20 years, it's safe, you know. Well, it is not safe. When those who have lost a child or a sibling to premature death from this chemical realize what the real source of harm is, the public will arise with such a vengeance that the Legislature of the United States will have to BAN them from use in any products! M. Diann Hursh PO Box 233 Valdez, AK 99686
907-835-5333 |
1-22-04