What is benzene used for

National Cancer Institute , the highest exposures to benzene have typically been in the workplace where workers produce or use benzene, although federal and state regulations have reduced these exposures in recent decades. Similarly, limits on the amount of benzene allowed in gasoline have contributed to reduced exposures. Breathing benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and unconsciousness; long-term benzene exposure causes effects on the bone marrow and can cause anemia and leukemia.

Food and Drug Administration. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Environmental Protection Agency. American Petroleum Institute. American Cancer Society. Tweets by AmChemistry. Home Benzene Benzene. What is benzene? Back to Top. Safety Information The U. Answering Questions What are benzene uses?

What are products with benzene? Workers in industries that make or use benzene may be exposed to this chemical. These include the rubber industry, oil refineries, chemical plants, shoe manufacturers, and gasoline-related industries.

Benzene is also used to make some types of lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. Other people who may be exposed to benzene at work include steel workers, printers, lab technicians, gas station employees, and firefighters. Federal regulations limit exposure to benzene in the workplace see below. People can be exposed to benzene in the environment from gasoline fumes, automobile exhaust, emissions from some factories, and waste water from certain industries.

Benzene is commonly found in air in both urban and rural areas, but the levels are usually very low. Exposures can be higher for people in enclosed spaces with unventilated fumes from gasoline, glues, solvents, paints, and art supplies. Areas of heavy traffic, gas stations, and areas near industrial sources may also have higher air levels. Cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke are important sources of exposure to benzene.

Cigarette smoke accounts for about half of the exposure to benzene in the United States. Benzene levels in rooms containing tobacco smoke can be many times higher than normal. People can also be exposed to benzene in contaminated drinking water and some foods although the levels are usually very low.

Benzene is known to cause cancer, based on evidence from studies in both people and lab animals. The link between benzene and cancer has largely focused on leukemia and other cancers of blood cells. Often neither type of study provides conclusive evidence on its own, so researchers usually look at both human and lab-based studies when trying to figure out if something causes cancer. Rates of leukemia , particularly acute myeloid leukemia AML , have been found to be higher in studies of workers exposed to high levels of benzene, such as those in the chemical, shoemaking, and oil refining industries.

Some studies have also suggested links to childhood leukemia particularly AML as well as acute lymphocytic leukemia ALL , chronic lymphocytic leukemia CLL , and other blood-related cancers such as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults. Indoor air generally contains levels of benzene higher than those in outdoor air.

The benzene in indoor air comes from products that contain benzene such as glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents. The air around hazardous waste sites or gas stations can contain higher levels of benzene than in other areas. Benzene leaks from underground storage tanks or from hazardous waste sites containing benzene can contaminate well water.

People working in industries that make or use benzene may be exposed to the highest levels of it. A major source of benzene exposure is tobacco smoke. How benzene works Benzene works by causing cells not to work correctly. For example, it can cause bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, which can lead to anemia.

Also, it can damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and causing the loss of white blood cells. The seriousness of poisoning caused by benzene depends on the amount, route, and length of time of exposure, as well as the age and preexisting medical condition of the exposed person.

Immediate signs and symptoms of exposure to benzene People who breathe in high levels of benzene may develop the following signs and symptoms within minutes to several hours: Drowsiness Dizziness Rapid or irregular heartbeat Headaches Tremors Confusion Unconsciousness Death at very high levels Eating foods or drinking beverages containing high levels of benzene can cause the following symptoms within minutes to several hours: Vomiting Irritation of the stomach Dizziness Sleepiness Convulsions Rapid or irregular heartbeat Death at very high levels If a person vomits because of swallowing foods or beverages containing benzene, the vomit could be sucked into the lungs and cause breathing problems and coughing.

Direct exposure of the eyes, skin, or lungs to benzene can cause tissue injury and irritation. Showing these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to benzene. Long-term health effects of exposure to benzene The major effect of benzene from long-term exposure is on the blood. Long-term exposure means exposure of a year or more. Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia.

It can also cause excessive bleeding and can affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection. Some women who breathed high levels of benzene for many months had irregular menstrual periods and a decrease in the size of their ovaries. It is not known whether benzene exposure affects the developing fetus in pregnant women or fertility in men. Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Benzene.

Manufacture of styrene, phenol, detergents, organic chemicals, pesticide, plastics and resins, synthetic rubber, aviation fuel, pharmaceuticals, dye, explosives, PCB gasoline, tanning, flavors and perfumes, paints and coatings; nylon intermediates; food processing; photographic chemicals.

Handbook of Environmental Data on Organic Chemicals. Verschueren, K. Volumes New York, NY. Chemical Marketing Reporter. June 24 pp.