The risks of benzene sources

The risks of benzene sources – Benzene and its use in the industry. The risks of benzene. Industrial processes involve a multitude of raw materials and the most diverse origins and ways of obtaining them. In petrochemical processes, in particular, during the oil extraction and refining phases and the manufacture of naphtha, undesirable gases and toxic substances are released as part of the products, and this presents a constant challenge on the part of several engineering companies that need to solve the problems involving maximum extraction of products with the least amount of energy possible and still being able to treat undesirable products, to avoid risks to the health of employees and customers who may use the products at home, at work and in the environment.

Benzene is one of those substances. For decades, benzene has been shown to be a key substance in the most diverse processes, in particular, all areas that somehow involve oil by-products. Glues, solvents, paints, furniture polish, pesticides, lubricants, car polishing waxes, detergents, lithography, graphic printing, photoengraving, oil extraction, fat processing, reagent, rubbers, catalysts, intermediate lab products, explosives, dyes , pharmaceutical products, styrofoam and other plastic materials, cumene (resin), nylon and synthetic fibers are just some of the applications of benzene.

However, benzene is highly harmful to health, even in minimal amounts and periods of exposure. Government agencies have treated benzene as a serious risk to occupational health and global health in general and it represents a challenge to prevent the population from exposure and to create ways to replace it in the industry.

Physical Properties

The chemical formula of benzene is C6H6, and has a molecular weight of 78.11 g / mol.
Benzene occurs as a highly flammable colorless volatile liquid that easily dissolves in water.
Benzene has a sweet odor, with an odor threshold reported by the ASTDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) at 1.5 ppm (5 mg / m3).

The emission of benzene

Benzene is found in emissions from burning coal and oil, exhaust from motor vehicles, and the evaporation of gasoline and service stations that use industrial solvents. These sources contribute to high levels of benzene in the ambient air, which can later be breathed in by the public. Tobacco smoke contains benzene and accounts for almost half of exposure to national benzene.

The risks of benzene sources. Health Risks

In an effort to monitor the quality of breathable air, exposure to benzene is highly regulated by agencies such as the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and FDA (US Food and Drug Administration). The maximum exposure level for benzene in the air is set by OSHA at 1 part per million (ppm) over an eight hour day and 40 hour workweek, and should not exceed 5 ppm at any time. Exposure to benzene can be detected in the body through blood and breathing tests, and to the environment of simple monitoring equipment.

Acute inhalation (short-term) exposure of humans to benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, as well as eyes, skin and respiratory tract irritation and, at high levels, loss of consciousness. Chronic inhalation exposure (long term) has caused several disorders in the blood, including reduced number of red blood cells and aplastic anemia, in occupational environments. 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.

The increased incidence of leukemia (cancer of the tissues that make up white blood cells) has been observed in humans occupationally exposed to benzene. The EPA (USEnvironmental Protection Agency) has classified benzene as a human Group A carcinogen.

Note: The main sources of information for this fact sheet are the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR – Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) Toxicological profile for the Integrated benzene system and EPA Information Risk (IRIS) , which contains information on the carcinogenic effects of benzene, including the cancer risk unit of inhalation exposure.

As many Americans have discovered, exposure to benzene is a serious and undeniable health risk, and its effects are potentially fatal.

Cancer risk:

Research has shown that benzene is not only a carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemical, but chronic (long-term) and exposure to benzene has been linked to various forms of leukemia by studies published as early as 1922. The Increased incidence of leukemia (cancer of the tissues that make up white blood cells) has been observed in humans occupationally exposed to benzene. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified benzene as a group, known as a human carcinogen.

Symptoms

Although it does not result in cancer, chronic exposure to benzene can affect bone marrow and blood production. Acute symptoms of exposure to benzene can include eye and skin irritation, dizziness, nausea, headache, dizziness and irregular heartbeat. In women, prolonged exposure to benzene in the air can result in irregular menstruation patterns and decreased ovary size.contaminated food or water Benzene- can cause vomiting, stomach irritation, convulsions and even death.

Personal Exposure Assessment

By measuring benzene in an individual’s breath or blood, or by measuring degradation products in urine (phenol), personal exposure can be estimated. However, tests should be done shortly after exposure and are not useful for measuring low levels of benzene.

Acute effects:

The combined exposure of benzene to ethanol (eg alcoholic beverages) may increase the toxicity of benzene in humans.
Neurological symptoms of exposure to benzene inhalation include drowsiness, dizziness, headaches and loss of consciousness in humans. Ingestion of large amounts of benzene can result in vomiting, dizziness, and seizures in humans.
Exposure to liquid and vapor can irritate the skin, eyes and upper respiratory tract in humans. Redness and blisters can result from dermal exposure to benzene.
Animal studies show immunological, neurological, hematological and effects of inhalation and oral exposure to benzene.
Tests involving acute exposure of rats, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs have shown benzene to have low acute toxicity by inhalation, acute toxicity from moderate ingestion and low or moderate acute toxicity from dermal exposure.

Chronic (non-cancerous) effects:

Chronic inhalation of certain levels of benzene causes disorders in the blood in humans. Benzene specifically affects bone marrow (in the tissues that make blood cells). Aplastic anemia, excessive bleeding, and damage to the immune system (from changes in blood antibody levels and loss of white blood cells) can develop.
In animals, chronic inhalation and oral exposure to benzene produce the same effects as seen in humans.
Benzene causes structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations in humans.
EPA has not established a reference concentration (RDM) or a reference dose (RFD) for benzene.
ATSDR as the risk of acute inhalation risk the minimum risk level (MRL) of 0.2 mg / m3 (0.05 parts per million [ppm]) based on immunological effects in mice and an intermediate MRL of 0, 01 mg / m3 (0.004 ppm) based on neurological effects in mice. The MRL is an estimate of daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse noncancer health effects over a specified period of exposure.

Effects on reproduction / development:

Several studies suggest that benzene occupational may compromise fertility in women exposed to high levels. However, these studies are limited due to a lack of exposure history, simultaneous exposure to other substances, and a lack of follow-up.

Adverse effects on the fetus, including low birth weight, delayed bone formation, and bone marrow damage, have been observed, where pregnant women have been exposed to benzene by inhalation.