It evaporates quickly when exposed to air. Benzene is formed from natural processes, such as volcanoes and forest fires, but most exposure to benzene results from human activities. Benzene is among the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States.
It is used mainly as a starting material in making other chemicals, including plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. In the past it was also commonly used as an industrial solvent a substance that can dissolve or extract other substances and as a gasoline additive, but these uses have been greatly reduced in recent decades.
Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil and gasoline and therefore motor vehicle exhaust , as well as cigarette smoke. The main way people are exposed is by breathing in air containing benzene. Benzene can also be absorbed through the skin during contact with a source such as gasoline, but because liquid benzene evaporates quickly, this is less common. The highest exposures have typically been in the workplace, although these have decreased greatly over the last several decades due to federal and state regulations.
Some other exposures have also gone down over time, such as the amount of benzene allowed in gasoline. Workers in industries that make or use benzene may be exposed to this chemical. These include the rubber industry, oil refineries, chemical plants, shoe manufacturers, and gasoline-related industries.
Benzene is also used to make some types of lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. Other people who may be exposed to benzene at work include steel workers, printers, lab technicians, gas station employees, and firefighters. Federal regulations limit exposure to benzene in the workplace see below. People can be exposed to benzene in the environment from gasoline fumes, automobile exhaust, emissions from some factories, and waste water from certain industries. Benzene is commonly found in air in both urban and rural areas, but the levels are usually very low.
Exposures can be higher for people in enclosed spaces with unventilated fumes from gasoline, glues, solvents, paints, and art supplies. If benzene leaks from buried storage tanks or landfills, it can contaminate nearby drinking water wells.
Benzene can move long distances in groundwater. The most common way people are exposed to benzene is when they fill their car with gasoline.
People are also exposed to benzene when they use household products that contain benzene. Benzene evaporates quickly from contaminated water. People can be exposed to benzene if they use contaminated water to bathe, shower, wash dishes or do laundry. Benzene vapors are present in exhaust from many industries and automobiles. People who live near highways or industries can be exposed to benzene. People whose drinking water wells are located within half a mile of a leaking underground storage tank, may be exposed by drinking contaminated water.
Benzene can pass through the skin. Benzene exposure through skin contact with gasoline or other solvents is possible. People can also absorb benzene as they bathe or shower in contaminated water. Failure to prevent benzene exposure is negligence.
If you believe you have a health problem because of benzene, talk to a lawyer about your options for financial recovery. A benzene lawsuit could result in compensation for your past and future medical costs, pain and suffering, emotional distress, lost wages, and lost quality of life.
Your employer, a product manufacturer, or another party could be liable for paying these damages. Contact an attorney today about your potential benzene lawsuit. Our fee is on a contingency basis. If you are unable to come to any of our offices, we are happy to visit you at home or in the hospital. New York Personal Injury Attorneys. Click For Free Consultation. Bioinformatics, Big Data, and Cancer.
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