Jones Act: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma claims

How benzene exposure leads to non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Benzene exposure causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) by attacking the lymphocytes, the white blood cells that form the core of the immune system. Benzene reaches these cells through two overlapping routes. 

First, it is taken up in the bone marrow, where lymphocytes are made, where it damages blood-forming stem cells and disrupts normal immune cell development. Second, benzene metabolites cause DNA strand breaks and chromosomal abnormalities directly in lymphoid cells, allowing mutations to accumulate until normal growth regulation fails.

A large pooled analysis published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that higher cumulative benzene exposure was associated with increased risk of NHL and other lymphoid malignancies. Additional occupational studies across petroleum, chemical, and industrial cohorts reported elevated NHL incidence with clear exposure-response trends in higher cumulative exposure groups.

What distinguishes NHL from leukemia cases is the immune system dimension. Beyond direct DNA damage, benzene suppresses immune function and causes chronic disruption of lymphatic cell regulation, a sustained biological environment that raises lymphoma risk independently of genetic injury alone.

Maritime workers accumulate benzene exposure through fuel vapor inhalation, petroleum cargo handling, tank cleaning, engine room operations, and work in poorly ventilated enclosed spaces over the course of an entire career at sea.