Environmental Pollutants
Other Contaminants Benzene and Leukemia Benzene Research Center Learn More
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Health Effects
The effects of Benzene can range from dizziness to death.
Breathing very high levels of benzene can result in death, while high levels can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness.Eating or drinking foods containing high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, irritation of the stomach, dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, rapid heart rate, and death.
The major effect of benzene from chronic (long term) exposure is to the blood.
Benzene damages the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells leading to anemia. To read more about anemia, Click Here.
It can also cause excessive bleeding and depress the immune system, increasing the chance of 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.
Animal studies have shown low birth weights, delayed bone formation, and bone marrow damage when pregnant animals breathed benzene.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) classifies benzene as a human carcinogen. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, a fatal cancer of the blood-forming organs.
Several tests can show if you have been exposed to benzene. There is a test for measuring benzene in the breath; this test must be done shortly after exposure.
Benzene can also be measured in the blood; however, since benzene disappears rapidly from the blood, measurements are accurate only for recent exposures.
In the body, benzene is metabolized. Certain metabolites can be measured in the urine. However, this test must be done shortly after exposure and is not a reliable indicator of how much benzene you have been exposed to, since the same metabolites may be present in urine from other sources.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has set the maximum permissible level of benzene in drinking water at 0.005 milligrams per liter (0.005 mg/L).
The EPA requires that spills or accidental releases into the environment of 10 pounds (4.5 kg) or more of benzene be reported to the EPA.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a permissible exposure limit of 1 part of benzene per million parts of air (1 ppm) in the workplace during an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.
If you think that you or a loved one has been affected by Benzene, fill out the form below for a free case evaluation.
see also:
Long-term Health Effects
Long-term Health Effects of Exposure to Benzene Long-term Health Effects of Exposure to Benzene
Hematological Effects
Benzene Can Effect Your Blood in Different Ways, Some Fatal - Read On Hematologic Effects of Benzene can include Leukemia - Learn More
Health Effects of Benzene
Health Effects of Benzene - Learn MoreLearn more about the health effects of Benzene
