Benzene Exposure from the BP's Flaring Disaster Increases the Risk of Developing Cancer

HOUSTON - March 10, 2016 - PRLog -- In Texas City, Texas, a 2010 flaring disaster at the BP refinery facility has led to the release of over 500,000 pounds of toxic chemicals, including over 17,000 pounds of benzene into the skies. The release of toxic chemicals from the BP refinery began on April 6 in 2010 and lasted 40 days until May 16, 2010. Environmentally, this flaring disaster polluted the air with the toxic chemicals, particularly benzene. The flaring incident at the refinery may have an enormously negative health impact on the local communities living in close proximity to the BP refinery facility.

Research evaluating the health impact of the 2010 BP's flaring disaster is emerging. It is well known that benzene exposure is associated with increased risks of developing carcinogenesis, specifically, leukemia, lymphoma, and aplastic anemia. Therefore, it is essential to assess the health consequences of benzene exposure in residents who were affected by the BP flaring disaster. To better understand the potential adverse health effects of the ambient benzene exposure resulting from the BP flaring disaster, Drs. D'Andrea MD, FACRO and G. Kesava Reddy from the University Cancer and Diagnostic Centers, Houston, TX, are conducting a series of studies to assess the health consequences in the affected populations, particularly in residents who were residing in close proximity to the BP refinery facility.

The pilot study findings published in the American Journal of Disaster Medicine in 2013 reveled that residents who were exposed to benzene are at risk for developing hepatic or bone marrow-related toxicity. A larger follow up study which is just published in the 2016 February issue of Disaster Medicine Public Health Preparedness journal confirms the earlier study findingsthat residents who were exposed to benzene are at risk for developing alterations in hematological and hepatic functions.

In this follow up study, the investigators assessed a total of 1,826 adults who were exposed to benzene and the findings were compared with unexposed (n = 387) residents, Using subjects' medical charts, clinical data including white blood cell (WBC) count, platelets count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) creatinine, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate amino transferase (AST), and alanine amino transferase (ALT) were gathered and analyzed.

The mean age of the unexposed and benzene exposed subjects was 45.9 and 41.6 years, respectively.  Among unexposed subjects, there were 43% male and 57% female. In the benzene-exposed group, there were 57% male and 43% female.  Hematological analysis indicated that benzene exposed subjects had a significantly increased mean WBC count (X 103 per µL) compared with unexposed subjects (7.9 ± 2.3 versus 6.8 ± 1.6, P = 0.000). Similarly, the mean platelet count (X 103 per µL) in the benzene-exposed group was significantly elevated compared with the unexposed group (270.8 ± 60.9 versus 242.5 ± 53.7, P = 0.000). The mean serum creatinine levels (mg/dL) were also significantly increased in the benzene-exposed group compared with the unexposed group (1.0 ± 0.2 versus 0.8 ± 0.2, P = 0.000).  The mean serum ALP (IU/L) levels were higher in subjects exposed to benzene compared with unexposed subjects (82.1 ± 15.6 versus 71.8 ± 8.2, P = 0.000). Mean serum AST (IU/L) levels were significantly higher in the benzene exposed subjects compared with the unexposed subjects (26.2 ± 6.4 versus 19.7 ± 5.3, P = 0.000). The mean serum ALT (IU/L) levels were increased significantly in the benzene exposed group compared with the unexposed group (30.6 ± 10.8 versus 20.9 ± 9.6, P = 0.0000).

The findings of this follow up study indicate that residents exposed to benzene due to the BP flaring disaster are at a higher risk of developing both hepatic and bone marrow-related disorders.