Occupational Benzene and Lymphoma

The Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal agreed with a workers’ compensation judge’s decision denying benefits to a former employee at Gulf South Systems LLC and Grand Isle Shipyard Inc. David Allensworth said his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was caused by occupational exposure to benzene.

Expert witness Dr. William Nassetta found that “though there is an association between benzene and lymphoma, the association does not reach a level of causation, and thus, even if Mr. Allensworth was exposed to benzene, it could not be the cause of his nonHodgkin’s lymphoma.”  Dr. Nassetta is a board-certified internist in Baton Rouge, LA. He is affiliated with Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.

Internists diagnose and treat adults.  Their specialties include cardiology, hematology, infectious diseases, oncology, and more.  Oncology experts are dedicated to diagnosing and treating benign and malignant tumors and other forms of cancer. Lymphoma is a cancer of immune cells called lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.  The disease is described as Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s.