Is benzene found in petroleum?

Benzene is naturally found in crude oil. Crude oil is refined into gasoline by using heat, pressure and chemicals in the refinery to separate the spectrum of petroleum products from crude oil.

What can exposure to benzene cause?

Long-term health effects of exposure to benzene 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.

How are you exposed to benzene?

People are exposed to benzene primarily by breathing air that contains the chemical. Workers in industries that produce or use benzene may be exposed to the highest levels of the chemical, although federal and state regulations have reduced these exposures in recent decades.

Is benzene a fraction of petroleum?

These groups are called petroleum hydrocarbon fractions. Some chemicals that may be found in TPH are hexane, jet fuels, mineral oils, benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene, and fluorene, as well as other petroleum products and gasoline components.

Why is benzene banned?

In the 1960s, Vigliani and Alessandra Forni showed that benzene could cause chromosome aberrations in the bone marrow that could produce leukemic clones. Conclusions: As a result of these studies and the subsequent regulations which banned benzene, exposure conditions changed in the workplace in the last few decades.

Where is benzene found in the home?

Benzene is produced naturally by volcanoes and forest fires. In homes, benzene may be found in glues, adhesives, cleaning products, paint strippers, tobacco smoke and gasoline. Most benzene in the environment comes from our use of petroleum products. Benzene quickly evaporates from water or soil.

How bad are hand sanitizers?

The Food and Drug Administration has now issued warnings about 75 hand sanitizer products. Officials say the products contain high levels of toxic methanol, which can cause blindness and even death if ingested. Symptoms of methanol poisoning include nausea, dizziness, weakness, and visual disturbances.

At what level can you smell benzene?

1.5 to 4.7 ppm
Most individuals can begin to smell benzene in air at 1.5 to 4.7 ppm. The odor threshold generally provides adequate warning for acutely hazardous exposure concentrations but is inadequate for more chronic exposures.

What are the side effects of benzene exposure?

Some of the side effects of Benzene exposure include: Fatigue. Malaise. Abnormal bleeding. Excessive bruising. Weakness. Reduced tolerance to exercise. Weight loss.

What are the health risks associated with benzene exposure?

Long-term health effects of exposure to benzene The major effect of benzene from long-term exposure is on the blood. Some women who breathed high levels of benzene for many months had irregular menstrual periods and a decrease in the size of their ovaries. Animal studies have shown low birth weights, delayed bone formation, and bone marrow damage when pregnant animals breathed benzene.

How can people be exposed to benzene?

People can be exposed to benzene by smoking, breathing second-hand smoke, pumping gasoline, driving, and from air pollution. Elevated levels of benzene can occur in the air around gas stations, areas of high car traffic, and industrial plants that either produce or use it.

What are the hazards of benzene?

Benzene Health Hazards. Benzene is a confirmed human carcinogen and is also linked to conditions such as aplastic anemia, acute leukemia, bone marrow failure and cardiovascular disease.