Acute Myelocytic Leukemia
The Smoking Facts about AML or Benzene Leukemia

Acute Myelocytic Leukemia (AML) is known to be caused by chronic benzene poisoning. This association has earned AML leukemia the nickname of benzene leukemia.

The smoking facts show that benzene is one of the harmful effects of tobacco combustion and one of the carcinogenic chemicals in cigarettes.

There are two types of leukemia and people of all ages are affected by this disease. AML leukemia is the most common type of leukemia among adults.

The myelocytic type of leukemia is so named because it affects the white blood cells.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood forming organs. When a cancer process is affecting the blood forming organs, the blood cells are created rapidly but are defective and cannot function properly.

Defective or malformed white blood cells in the body is a situation that is not compatible with life. Eventually all the other blood cells become crowded out by the proliferation of the poorly formed white blood cells and the body becomes defenseless against invasion by pathogenic microbes.

Smoking Facts about AML Leukemia

• smoking increases your risk of developing acute myelocytic leukemia by about 30%.


• among U.S. smokers, 90% of benzene exposures come from cigarettes.


• benzene is one of the harmful chemicals formed by tobacco combustion.


• benzene is a known human carcinogen.

Although benzene has been identified as one of the harmful effects of tobacco combustion capable of producing cancer of the blood in smokers, there are at least five other carcinogenic ingredients in cigarettes that are also capable of producing leukemia including a radioactive element polonium-210.

More Smoking Facts about Benzene Leukemia

Acute benzene poisoning can be fatal. This would be the case if someone was exposed to a large amount of benzene in a short amount of time.

However, benzene poisoning can also occur by lower doses over a longer period of exposure. Such is the case with cigarette smoking.

Read more about the link between benzene and Acute Myelocytic Leukemia.

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