health Hazards of Benzene (C6H6)
health Hazards of Benzene (C6H6)- also known as benzol, classified as aromatic hydrocarbon is a colourless liquid with a sweet odour that evaporates quickly into the air and is only slightly soluble in water. In short, it is extremely flammable and toxic. Easily ignited by a spark and producing irritative, corrosive and toxic gases.
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Benzene
Odour sweat aromatic,
Main Hazard Carcinogen, Flammable GHS signal Danger
NFPA
Health hazard — 2, Flammability — 3, Reactivity — 0, Flashpoint — 11.63 degrees Celsius
LEL 1.2%
UEL 7.8%
Benzene vapours may cause explosion hazards. Most people can begin to detect the odour of benzene in the air when it is in concentrations of 60 ppm [parts of benzene per million parts of air]) and to recognize it as benzene when the concentration reaches 100 ppm. It is found in air, water, and soil, and comes from both industrial and natural sources.
This use is currently discouraged due to its high toxicity and carcinogenicity. The current uses are as a raw material in the synthesis of chemical substances and the manufacture of plastics, resins, and detergents. The syntheses of many pesticides and pharmaceuticals also involve benzene as a chemical intermediate. The rubber, lubricant, dye, detergent, drug and pesticide industry, shoe factories use benzene extensively in their industrial processes. Exposure to benzene can also occur from the use of gasoline and diesel.
Exposure to benzene is influenced by several factors including concentration (amount), duration (for how long), and how the substance was contacted. You should also consider the other chemicals to which you are exposed, your age, sex, diet, personal characteristics, lifestyle and health condition.
Natural sources of benzene, including volcanic emissions and wildfires, also contribute to the presence of benzene in the environment. A major source of benzene in ambient air is tobacco smoke, especially indoors. In the air, it reacts with other chemical substances and breaks down in a few days, and it can also be dragged to the ground by rain or snow. In water and soil, it degrades more slowly than in air, being poorly soluble in water and can pass through the soil into groundwater.
Long term exposure to Benzene
We are all exposed to small amounts of benzene daily, outdoors, at work, and home. Exposure of the population occurs mainly through the inhalation of air containing benzene.
The main sources of exposure are tobacco smoke, gas stations, automobile exhaust, and industrial emissions.
Vapours (or gases) from products containing benzene, such as glues, paints, furniture polish, and detergents can also be sources of benzene exposure. Levels in the home are generally higher than outdoors. It can enter your body through the lungs, digestive tract, and skin.
Long-term exposure can cause cancer of the organs that make blood elements chronic leukaemia exposure to benzene of 10 PPM (leukaemia is Cancer of blood-forming organs). Overtime contact with liquid benzene causes the removal of natural oil from the skin.
Your exposure has been associated with the development of a special type of leukaemia called acute myeloid leukaemia. The results indicate that benzene is a multi-organ carcinogen.
how does benzene affect the body?
Several factors will determine whether exposure to benzene produces adverse effects, as well as the type and severity of them. These factors include the amount of benzene you were exposed to and the duration of the exposure.
Brief exposure (5 to 10 minutes) to very high levels in the air 10000–20,000 ppm can result in death. Lower levels 700–3,000 ppm can cause lethargy, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, headache, tremors, confusion, and loss of consciousness.
Brief exposure of Benzene in PPM
1 The appearance of leukaemia cases in exposures of 40 years. 50–150 5-hour exposures to this concentration can cause headaches, fainting, and weakness likewise.
500–3000 - It can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, headache, tremors, confusion and unconsciousness.
3000–5000 - It can cause acute poisoning,
7500 — 30 minute exposures at this concentration can be fatal.
10000–20000 Exposures of 5 to 10 minutes at this concentration can cause death.
In most cases, the effects will wear off when the exposure ends and the person begins to breathe fresh air. Benzene causes changes in the blood. People who breathe it for long periods of time can suffer damage to the tissues that make blood cells, especially bone marrow.
After that these effects can interrupt the production of elements of the blood and cause a decrease in some important components of the blood. Meanwhile, a decrease in red blood cells can lead to anaemia (lack of red blood cells to carry oxygen to body tissues). Certainly, the reduction of other components of the blood can cause bleeding. The production of blood elements can normalize when exposure to benzene ends.
That is to say, excessive exposure to benzene can be detrimental to the immune system, increasing the chances of getting infections and possibly lowering the body’s defences against cancer. firstly chronic toxicological effects of benzene exposure occur in the hematopoietic system. Secondly, neurological and reproductive toxicities occur at slightly higher concentrations. Subsequently, exposure can be harmful to the sexual organs.
Harmful exposure of Benzene
Moreover, some women who inhaled high levels at work for months suffered from irregular menstrual cycles and a decrease in the size of their ovaries.
However, it is not known what effects it could have on the fetus or fertility in men. Further studies in pregnant animals have shown that inhaling benzene adversely affects the fetus. These effects include low birth weight, delayed bone formation, and bone marrow damage likewise.
Children can be affected by exposure to benzene in the same way as adults. As a result, it can pass from the mother’s blood to the fetus. It is not known whether children are more susceptible to benzene poisoning than adults.
The most significant adverse effects of prolonged exposure are hepatotoxicity, genotoxicity( cause mutagenicity), and carcinogenicity likewise. Chronic benzene exposure can cause bone marrow depression expressed as leukopenia, anaemia and/or thrombocytopenia( occur as a result of bone marrow disorder), and in addition aplastic (condition to stop producing new blood cells).
Recommendations for Benzene prevention
Gasoline and cigarette smoke are two main sources of benzene exposure, so they can be reduced by limiting contact with these sources.
The typical smoker receives about 10 times more benzene per day than a non-smoker. Therefore it is recommended that families do not smoke at home, indoors, or near their children.
Because the most likely route of exposure to benzene is to breathe polluted air, try to limit outdoor activities during peak periods.
Indoor air generally contains higher levels of benzene; These come from products that contain benzene such as tobacco, glues, paints, solvents, furniture polish, detergents, and other cleaning products. Therefore, it is advisable to use these types of products as little as possible inside homes.
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