How does benzene affect the bone marrow?
How does benzene affect the bone marrow?
Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and can affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection.
What kind of leukemia Does benzene cause?
IARC classifies benzene as “carcinogenic to humans,” based on sufficient evidence that benzene causes acute myeloid leukemia (AML). IARC also notes that benzene exposure has been linked with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Does benzene bioaccumulate?
Environmental Fate: Benzene can volatilize into the air from water and soil (2, 76). Benzene can break down within a few days in air, whereas benzene breaks down more slowly in water and soil. It can also easily leach from the soil into groundwater. Benzene does not bioaccumulate in plants or animals.
How is benzene removed from the body?
Instead, try to cut off the clothing and remove it from your body as quickly as possible. Wash yourself and your skin with warm soap and water. Flush out any benzene that might be in the mouth or eyes for at least fifteen minutes.
What are the acute effects of benzene?
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.
Where is benzene commonly found?
Benzene is a widely used industrial chemical. Benzene is found in crude oil and is a major part of gasoline. It’s used to make plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, rubber lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides. Benzene is produced naturally by volcanoes and forest fires.
What foods contain benzene?
The presence of benzene also was reported in butter, eggs, meat, and certain fruits; levels of these findings ranged from 0.5 ng/g in butter to 500-1900 ng/g in eggs.
How is benzene metabolized in the body?
Benzene is metabolized, primarily in the liver, to a variety of hydroxylated and ring-opened products that are transported to the bone marrow where subsequent secondary metabolism occurs.
How can I reduce toxins in my life?
10 Steps to Avoid Toxic Chemicals
- Make Your Own Cleaning Products.
- Avoid Fragrance.
- Give Your Personal Care Products a Makeover.
- Go “BPA-Free”
- Quit the Quats.
- Choose Alternatives to Plastics (where possible)
- Keep Harmful Chemicals Out of the House.
- Turn Down the Heat on Non-Stick Cookware.
Does benzene exposure increase the risk of cancer?
However, most studies in humans have not found an increased risk of cancers other than leukemia among people with higher exposures. Benzene has been shown to cause chromosome changes in bone marrow cells in the lab. (The bone marrow is where new blood cells are made.) Such changes are commonly found in human leukemia cells.
What are the physical properties of benzene?
It has a sweet odor and is highly flammable. Benzene evaporates into the air very quickly. Its vapor is heavier than air and may sink into low-lying areas. Benzene dissolves only slightly in water and will float on top of water.
What are the chemical processes involved in benzene production?
Four chemical processes contribute to industrial benzene production: catalytic reforming, toluene hydrodealkylation, toluene disproportionation, and steam cracking. According to the ATSDR Toxicological Profile for benzene, between 1978 and 1981, catalytic reformates accounted for approximately 44–50% of the total U.S benzene production.
What should you do if you have been exposed to benzene?
For short-term exposure to high levels of benzene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting away from the source of benzene, removing any clothing that may have benzene on it, washing exposed areas with soap and water, and getting medical care as soon as possible.
