Benzene
224 published decisions mention Benzene. Most of them are deciding other claims at the same time, so the table below is narrower on purpose: it counts only the 116 individual issues where the claim itself was tied to this exposure. This is a non-presumptive agent, the medical link must be proven case by case, so these Board rulings are the roadmap.
Note: Also a Camp Lejeune contaminated-water constituent (presumptive for named conditions). Those may not require proving the medical link.
What the Board has tied to Benzene
Each row: a condition claimed as related to Benzene, how many issues the Board ruled on, and the granted / denied / remanded split. Click a condition to see its code page, criteria, and the decisions.
What these numbers count: 224 decisions MENTION Benzene; of the issues inside them, 116 were actually tied to this exposure, and 85 of those appear in the table. An issue the Board decided under two conditions appears in both rows, so the rows add up to 91. A further 23 conditions came up too few times to chart (fewer than 5 issues each, 31 issues in total) and are not listed, because a single case cannot show a pattern.
| Condition | Issues | Granted | Denied | Rem. | Grant % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leukemia (except for chronic myelogenous leukemia) DC 7703 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 76% |
| Malignant neoplasms of the genitourinary system DC 7528 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 47% |
| Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) (chronic myeloid leukemia or chronic granulocytic leukemia) DC 7719 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40% |
| Myelodysplastic syndromes DC 7725 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma DC 7715 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | – |
| Polycythemia vera DC 7704 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis DC 7718 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – |
Read the Board decisions that mention Benzene ↗
What the science says about Benzene
Benzene is a volatile solvent found in fuels (a component of gasoline and JP-8), degreasers, paints, and many industrial processes. It is absorbed by breathing vapors and through the skin.
Health effects documented in the toxicology literature
- Blood and bone marrow: Benzene damages the bone marrow, reducing blood-cell production; can cause aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
- Leukemia: An established cause of acute myeloid leukemia (AML); also linked to other blood cancers.
- Immune system: Lowers white-blood-cell counts, weakening the immune response.
- Other blood cancers: Evidence also associates benzene with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
Cancer classification: IARC Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans); known human carcinogen (US HHS NTP).
Latency: Blood cancers may develop years after exposure.
ATSDR Toxic Substances Portal (search this substance) ↗ (public-domain, US ATSDR)
Common questions
Is Benzene a presumptive exposure?
No. Unlike Agent Orange, burn pits, or Camp Lejeune, Benzene carries no automatic (presumptive) service connection. You have to prove the medical link yourself, usually with a nexus opinion, which is exactly why how the Board has ruled on it matters.
Why do so many of these conditions show denials?
The granted / denied counts reflect the mix of cases where Benzene comes up and how hard each link is to prove, not the merit of any one claim. A denial often means the file lacked a medical opinion tying the condition to the exposure, or proof of the exposure itself, not that the condition can never be connected.
How do I show I was exposed to Benzene?
Service records, your military job (MOS), unit history, and buddy statements can establish the exposure; a medical opinion then connects it to the diagnosed condition. This page reports Board outcomes and is not legal or medical advice, a VSO representative can help with your specific case.
Related Tools and Guides
RateMyVSO. Educational aggregate of published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions plus public-domain toxicology (ATSDR). Not affiliated with the VA. Not legal or medical advice. Whether any exposure caused any condition in a specific case is a medical and legal question, a VSO representative can help.