Benzene

Benzene is widely used in the United States. It ranks in the top 20 chemicals for production volume. Benzene is used to make other chemicals that are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers. In addition, it is used to make some types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. It is also found in crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke.

Industrial processes are the main source of benzene in the environment. People can be exposed to benzene in various ways, including through the air (both outdoors and indoors) and water, for example, by leakage from storage tanks or hazardous waste sites.

Benzene is known to cause various serious health problems. For example, benzene causes problems in the blood, sometimes leading to anemia, excessive bleeding, or damage to the body's immune system. It also can cause cancer of the blood-forming organs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the International Agency for Cancer Research and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency all consider benzene a human carcinogen. In particular, long-term exposure to benzene has been linked to acute myeloid leukemia. Exposure to benzene also may be harmful to the reproductive organs.

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