When everything works as intended at oil and gas extraction or refining facilities, workers should have minimal direct contact with petroleum products and the chemicals used to refine them. Unfortunately, issues ranging from aging machinery to major weather events can result in incidents where workers end up exposed to petroleum or to other dangerous chemicals.
In such cases, workers may need to report their exposure to the company and also to their physicians. They may need to monitor themselves more carefully in the future, as they may be at increased risk of developing cancer.
Cancer rates are higher for oil and gas professionals
There are many hazards associated with the oil and gas industry. Many people focus on physical injuries related to fires or explosions. While those hazards are a serious safety concern, they are far from the only medical challenges that oil and gas workers face.
They are also vulnerable to serious illnesses, including cancer. Research has shown that regular exposure to petroleum products can increase the risk of many types of cancer, including lung cancer and even blood cancer.
Professionals exposed due to incidents in the workplace generally need to ensure there is a record with the company of those incidents. They should inform their primary care physicians so they know to screen them more carefully for cancer in the future.
In scenarios where people can connect major medical issues to an oil and gas workplace incident, they may have grounds for compensation claims. Successfully requesting financial support when chemical or petroleum exposure causes cancer can help people pay for their care and replace their lost wages.