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The benzene exposure issue: a former seaman’s perspective

We are representing a client who suffers from leukemia we believe was caused by exposure to benzene while working on a chemical tanker. Maritime author Michael Rawlins, who retired in 2007 after a 17-year career in the merchant marine, weighs in on the case of our client...

Reading about Mr. Magill’s situation brought me back—in stark clarity—to the many transits I made on Gulf Coast chemical tankers not all that long ago. Not to sound callous, but I must admit that I almost immediately thought about how fortunate I have been never to have contracted leukemia or cancer despite how much I was exposed to benzene and other toxic chemicals. That was a constant concern up until the day I signed off early from a tour of duty on a chem. ship in Savannah. And when I walked down that gangway with discharge in hand, I didn't look back and never again worked a chemical tanker.

In recent years, companies have generally become more vigilant in providing their crews more adequate PPE (personal protective equipment) to wear around the manifold and around the open tank tops. But Mr. Magill’s claim that he was improperly trained in how to avoid benzene exposure shows me that the industry is still not doing nearly enough to protect seafarers from toxic fume exposure.

“On the deck surrounding the manifold were these words stenciled in yellow: CAUTION: BENZENE EXPOSURE AREA. PLEASE STAY CLEAR,” I wrote in The Last American Sailors. “Great, my working area is hazardous to my health. Obviously these words were directed toward visitors on the ship and not toward the workers,” I wrote.

I will never forget the first time I walked on the deck of a chem. ship. The smell was so strong that my eyes watered and my head spun. The odors wafting out of the cargo vents came from liquids with dangerous sounding names like Benzene, Cyclohexane, Raffinate, Mixed Xylene and Toluene. Looking at the MSDS (material safety data sheets) revealed that being exposed to only a few parts per million could cause a person serious harm.

For example, benzene causes cancer, leukemia, bone marrow failure. The MSDS on raffinate says it “can enter lungs and cause damage. May be harmful if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.” For cyclohexane, the MSDS says “If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical attention.” For toluene: “inhalation of high concentrations may cause central nervous system effects characterized by nausea, headache, dizziness, unconsciousness and coma.” Mixed xylene: “inhalation of vapors irritates upper respiratory tract.”

The EPA says that no level of benzene exposure is safe. All gas stations in California have signs warning pregnant women, the chronically ill, children and the elderly about the presence of toxic fumes that are proven to cause cancer or death.

If even just a few minutes of pumping gas poses a risk to benzene exposure, one can only imagine the danger level in riding a chemical tanker on multiple four month rotations.

Read about our client’s lawsuit here.

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