Benzene 2009--Health effects and mechanisms of bone marrow toxicity: implications for t-AML and the mode of action framework.

This overview of the Symposium and its organization includes a historical survey of the scientific literature in which the relationship of benzene exposure to the development of aplastic anemia and other bone marrow diseases, including acute myeloid (myelogenous) leukemia, is described. Previous conferences on the health effects of benzene are summarized. The important role of the revised World Health Organization classification of tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues in clarifying the specific diseases related to benzene exposure is emphasized.