A sweet smelling, highly toxic hydrocarbon. Long-term exposure
to benzene is known to cause anemia and leukemia. The anemia associated with benzene
exposure is termed aplastic anemia. The types of leukemia associated with benzene
exposure are adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia
(CLL). It is thought that benzene induces DNA damage in hematopoietic stem cells
that give rise to leukemic clones of cells.
Breathing benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, tachycardia (rapid heart rate),
headache, tremors, confusion, unconsciousness, and death. Eating or drinking foods
containing high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, irritation of the stomach,
dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, rapid heart rate, and death.
Benzene is widely used as a solvent. It comes from light coal tar oil and chemically
is C6H6. It is a colorless liquid that evaporates into the air very quickly and
dissolves slightly in water. Some industries use benzene to make other chemicals
which are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene
is also used to make some types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs,
and pesticides. Natural sources of benzene include volcanoes and forest fires. Benzene
is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke.
The use of glues and other products containing benzene has stopped in most developed
countries because of its danger and the allowable worker exposures to the chemical
have been drastically reduced. In some countries such as China, however, the use
of benzene-containing glues reportedly persists in thousands of small factories.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 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
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.
medical
dictionary, online medical dictionary, medical
terminology dictionary, free online medical
dictionary, medical dictionary, online medical
dictionary, medical terminology dictionary, free
online medical dictionary, dictionary medical,
dictionary medical online, dictionary medical
terminology, dictionary free medical online,
dictionary free medical, dictionary medical
terms, dictionary drug medical medicine,
dictionary health illustrated medical nursing
profession stedmans, dictionary English medical,
dictionary medical online terminology,
dictionary encyclopedia medical online,
condition dictionary medical, dictionary
medical, dictionary drug medical, medical
dictionary software, cyclopedic dictionary index
medical tabers thumb, medical dictionary, online
medical dictionary, medical terminology
dictionary
