Residents who live near industrial areas where the air contains Benzene face a higher risk of developing cancer, according to a 2013 study. Researchers at Emory University found that the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was higher near industrial facilities that emitted benzene, which bolsters previous studies that link benzene to other forms of cancer like AML and MSDS. The health safety concerns of benzene property contamination are far-reaching.
The study, published in the journal Cancer, raises more concerns about the toxic chemical that is found in a number of materials including crude oil and gasoline.
According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in 2011, more than 30 businesses were emitting benzene, among other dangerous air pollutants. The EPA listed Chem Dyne in Hamilton, Ohio as one of its Superfund cleanup sites due to toxic contamination of benzene, asbestos and other chemicals.
Recent research has shown that parental occupational exposure to benzene can play a role in causing childhood leukemia. The effects from exposure to benzene can vary among sub-populations like children and infants, and potentially even more dangerous.
It is theorized that children may have a higher level of chemical exposure because of their heightened activity patterns which may increase their exposures. This could translate into a greater risk of leukemia and other toxic effects to children if they are exposed to benzene at any level.
Infants and children may be more vulnerable because of their fragile chemical makeup while they are still undergoing maturation.
Benzene Safety Studies
The WHO cancer agency may have left out key findings in recent studies, and the reasons are unknown. In an important Benzene review, the agency allegedly–according to Consumer Advocate attorneys–underplayed human exposure to the carcinogenic chemical.
This news comes at a time when millions of workers around the world, including car mechanics, cabinet makers, and various painters all using benzene products (adhesives, asphalt, solvents, and cleaning agents), often in poorly-ventilated factories and shops, could be at risk of serious harm from benzene and other toxic chemicals.
The IARC is an international organization funded by 24 member States since 1985, and it has received $48 million from American taxpayers and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Benzene, also known as benzol, is a highly-flammable hydrocarbon liquid that is colorless and has a sweet odor. Benzene is used primarily as a solvent in oil, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. It is a natural component of crude oil, which is currently the main source of Benzene.
Benzene is used to make other chemicals for use in materials such as plastics, various resins, nylon, other synthetic fibers, some types of rubber, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides.
Tire Production & Rubber Pollution
Benzene has been a concern for medical experts for many decades. The chemical is known to cause several forms of cancers and blood disorders in employees with chronic benzene exposure.
But even with the knowledge that their workers were exposed to toxins at Ohio tire and rubber plants, corporations continued to manufacture dangerous products, failed to warn employees of the health risks, and failed to offer workers proper protection against the cancer-causing exposure.
