What is an acute effect of benzene on the human body?
Benzene works by causing cells not to work correctly. For example, it can cause bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. Also, it can damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and causing the loss of white blood cells.
How does benzene affect the respiratory system?
It is a colorless or light yellow liquid at room temperature and it is highly flammable. Like gasoline, benzene has a sweet odor that can help you detect its presence in the air. It can evaporate into the air and become breathed into the lung causing serious damage.
Is benzene acutely or chronically toxic?
Human exposure to benzene has been associated with a range of acute and long-term adverse health effects and diseases, including cancer and aplastic anaemia.
Is benzene banned in the US?
Benzene has been banned as an ingredient in products intended for use in the home, including toys. 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.
How long does benzene stay in your system?
Some of the harmful effects of benzene exposure are caused by these metabolites. Most of the metabolites of benzene leave the body in the urine within 48 hours after exposure.
What are four known health effects of benzene exposure?
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.
Is benzene still used today?
Yet benzene has been widely used in a variety of industrial and even household products for decades, and is still being used today.
How much benzene is bad?
Brief exposure (5–10 minutes) to very high levels of benzene in air (10,000–20,000 ppm) can result in death. Lower levels (700–3,000 ppm) can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness.
How does benzene get into the body?
Benzene can enter your body through your lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and across your skin. When you are exposed to high levels of benzene in air, about half of the benzene you breathe in passes through the lining of your lungs and enters your bloodstream.
What foods contain benzene?
4. Analysis of Benzene in Foods
| Food | Benzene concentration | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Organ meats Fruit-based products, chicken, fish, peanuts, potatoes, vegetable oils | 18 ppb <1 ppb | [43] |
| Fruits, cheese, eggs, others Roasted peanuts Pickled olives | <1 ppb 1,85 ppb 2,19 ppb | [6] |
| Carbonated soda beverages (118 samples) | 1.1–3.67 ppb | [44] |
Does benzene accumulate in the body?
Once in the bloodstream, benzene travels throughout your body and can be temporarily stored in the bone marrow and fat. Benzene is converted to products, called metabolites, in the liver and bone marrow. Some of the harmful effects of benzene exposure are caused by these metabolites.
