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Tox Town - Environmental health concerns and toxic chemicals where you live, work, and play
Benzeneen español
Benzene vapor comes from gasoline, cigarette smoke, and products manufactured with benzene.

What is benzene?

Benzene, also known as benzol, is a colorless liquid with a sweet odor, and can be described as a volatile organic compound. The chemical symbol for benzene is C6H6

Benzene is formed from both natural processes and human activities. It is produced from volcanoes and forest fires, and is a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke. 

Benzene is one of the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States. It is used to make other chemicals that are then used to make plastics, resins, nylon, and other synthetic fibers. It is used to make explosives, photographic chemicals, rubber, lubricants, dyes, adhesives, coatings, paint, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. It is used in printing, lithography, and food processing. It has been used as a gasoline additive in the past, but that use has been greatly reduced in the United States since the 1990s.

How might I be exposed to benzene?

Benzene is found in the air, water, and soil. You can be exposed to small amounts of benzene outdoors, where the air can contain low levels from tobacco smoke, automotive service stations, vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions. You can be exposed to higher levels of benzene near gas stations, hazardous waste sites, or industrial facilities. 

You can be exposed to benzene indoors at home, where the air can contain higher levels of benzene than outdoor air, from products such as glue, paint, furniture wax, and detergent. 

Approximately half the national exposure to benzene comes from smoking cigarettes or being exposed to cigarette smoke, indoors or outdoors. You can be exposed to benzene by drinking or using well water that has been contaminated by leaking underground gasoline storage tanks or hazardous waste sites, though those levels are usually less than those from industrial facilities and smoking cigarettes. 

You can be exposed to higher than normal levels of benzene at work if you work at a facility that makes or uses benzene, including petroleum refining sites, pharmaceutical plants, petrochemical manufacturing facilities, rubber tire manufacturing facilities, or gas stations. You may be exposed if you are a steel worker, printer, shoemaker, laboratory technician, or firefighter.

How can benzene affect my health?

Benzene is classified as a carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program because it has been known to cause cancer. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause leukemia. 

Breathing very high levels of benzene, or eating or drinking foods contaminated with high levels of benzene, can cause death. Eating or drinking foods contaminated with high levels of benzene can also cause vomiting and stomach irritation. Small amounts of benzene, which are not harmful, can be found in fruit, fish, vegetables, nuts, dairy products, beverages, and eggs. 

Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene by breathing or eating affects the central nervous system, and can cause paralysis, coma, convulsions, dizziness, sleepiness, rapid heart rate, tightness of the chest, tremors, and rapid breathing. 

If you work at a facility that uses benzene, breathing high levels of benzene can cause irreversible brain damage, unconsciousness, cardiac arrest, blurred vision, headaches, tremors, confusion, and fatigue. In women, it can shrink ovaries and cause menstrual irregularity. Spilling benzene on your skin can cause redness, sores, scaling, and drying of the skin. If benzene contacts the eyes, it can cause irritation and damage to the cornea. 

Long-term exposure to benzene can decrease red blood cells, leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and affect the immune system, increasing the chance of infection.

If you think you have been exposed to benzene, contact your health care professional. 

For poisoning emergencies or questions about possible poisons, please contact your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.


More Links
Benzene (Navy Environmental Health Center) PDF Icon
Benzene (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Benzene. Haz-Map (National Library of Medicine)
Benzene. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (National Library of Medicine)
Benzene. ToxFAQs (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry)
Benzene: Drinking Water Contaminant (Environmental Protection Agency)

Locations where Benzene may be found
City
City
Farm
Farm
Town
Town
U.S.-Mexico Border
U.S.-Mexico Border
Port
Port
Brownfield
Construction
Drinking Water
Factory
Hair and Nail Salons
Homes
Hospital
Offices and Stores
Outdoor Air
Park
River
School
School Bus
Vehicles
Barn and Silo
Drinking Water
Homes
Landfill
Off-road Vehicles
Outdoor Air
Shed
Vehicles
Drinking Water
Factory
Homes
Offices and Stores
Outdoor Air
Park
River
School
School Bus
Vehicles
Auto Shop
Border Crossing
Drinking Water
Homes
Illegal Dumps and Tire Piles
Maquiladora
Outdoor Air
Park
River
Stormwater and Sewage
Tienda
Trash Burning
Vehicles
Beach
Coastal Brownfield
Drinking Water
Fuel Pipelines
Homes
Marina and Boats
Offices and Stores
Outdoor Air
River
Shipping
Shipyard
Storms and Floods
Stormwater and Sewage
Urban and Industrial Runoff
Vehicles

Last Updated: November 06, 2008

Interactive Graphic Neighborhoods City Farm Town US - Mexico Border Port