EcoPedia

Benzene

Michael Forlini | Oct 5, 2010

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Benzene is a clear, colorless aromatic liquid that is highly flammable. The greatest use of benzene is in plastics, rubber, resins and synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester. Other uses include the extraction of oils from seeds and nuts; in photogravure printing; and in the manufacture of detergents, explosives, pharmaceuticals and dyestuffs. Benzene is released to air primarily from fumes connected with certain chemical industries and exhaust from its use in gasoline.

If benzene is released to soil, it will either evaporate very quickly or leach to groundwater. It can be broken down by some soil microbes. It may also be degraded in some ground waters. If benzene is released to surface water, most of it should evaporate within a few hours.

Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure of humans to benzene may cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, as well as eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation, and at high levels, unconsciousness. Chronic (long-term) inhalation exposure has caused various disorders in the blood, including reduced numbers of red blood cells and aplastic anemia, in occupational settings. Reproductive effects have been reported for women exposed by inhalation to high levels, and adverse effects on the developing fetus have been observed in animal tests. Increased occurrences of leukemia (cancer of the tissues that form white blood cells) have been observed in humans occupationally exposed to benzene.

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