Dwayne Gregory, a former Exxon Mobil Corporation employee, won a $5.1 million verdict against the oil giant this week after jurors determined toxic fumes emitted by crude oil caused his bladder and prostate cancer. Gregory, 54, was a seaman aboard the Exxon Valdez and several other oil tankers during his tenure with the company.

According to the complaint, Exxon officials waited over two years to inform Gregory that a routine physical exam had detected blood in his urine, a sign of bladder cancer. Since his diagnosis, Gregory has undergone four surgeries and several chemotherapy treatments. Gregory's attorneys told jurors he may succumb to the disease.