Workplace Exposure to Benzene
Documented cases of blood diseases linked to benzene exposure date back to over a century ago. As early as 1928, health experts noted a correlation between benzene exposure and leukemia. In 1948, the American Petroleum Institute published a report linking benzene to leukemia, and concluded that the only safe level of benzene exposure is no exposure at all. Since that time, studies have shown that a number of trades – including petroleum refinery and petrochemical workers, plastics workers, steel workers, painters, gasoline distribution workers, chemical workers, rubber workers, and printing press operators – have an increased risk of contracting leukemia and other blood diseases as a result of their occupational exposure to benzene.
People who work with benzene or related solvents and chemicals may be exposed by inhaling vapors that evaporate from the chemicals and absorbing benzene through their skin – for example, by using rags soaked with solvents or mineral spirits, cleaning tools with solvents, or splashing solvents on the skin. Liquid Wrench is a brand of mineral spirits that at one time contained benzene. Studies have demonstrated that even relatively low levels of benzene exposure can be related to certain blood cancers and disorders.
