Benzene: health effects, incident management, and toxicology Benzene: health effects, incident management, and toxicology - GOV.UK Cookies on GOV.UKWe use some essential cookies to make this website work. We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content GOV.UK Search 1. Home 2. Health and social care 3. Public health 4. Health protection 5. Chemical and environmental hazards Guidance Benzene: health effects, incident management, and toxicology Information on benzene, for use in responding to chemical incidents. From: UK Health Security Agency Published 1 July 2014 Last updated 4 October 2024 — See all updates Get emails about this page Documents
Hollow-core PCF for terahertz sensing: A new approach for ethanol and benzene detection. Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is becoming a powerful technique for non-destructive, label-free chemical sensing with applications ranging from medicinal research to security screening. Enhancing THz spectroscopy's sensitivity and selectivity is crucial to maximizing its potential. In this work, we offer . Using the simulation method, the constructed square PCF sensor achieves very high relative sensitivity (94.45%, 94.80%) at 2 THz for two compounds: ethanol (n = 1.354), and benzene (n = 1.36). On the other hand, the low confinement loss (CL) values for the same two compounds at 2 THz are 1.17 × 10-05 dB/m, and 1.32 × 1 0-05 dB/m, in that order. We also looked at the potential applications
Recycling Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Waste Benzene-Containing Plastics: Synergetic Thermal Reduction and Benzene Decomposition. Spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and benzene-containing polymers (BCPs) are two major pollutants that cause serious environmental burdens. Herein, spent LIBs and BCPs are copyrolyzed in a sealed reactor to generate LiCO, metals, and/or metal oxides without emitting toxic benzene-based gases. The use of a closed reactor allows the sufficient reduction reaction between the BCP-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) gases and lithium transition metal oxides, achieving the Li recovery efficiencies of 98.3, 99.9, and 97.5% for LiCoO, LiMnO, and LiNiCoMnO, respectively. More importantly, the thermal decomposition of PAHs (, phenol and benzene) is further
Visualization of Syntrophic Benzene-Fermenting Desulfobacterota ORM2 in a Methanogenic Enrichment Culture Using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization. Benzene degradation under anoxic conditions was first reported more than 25 years ago; however, the activation mechanism in the absence of oxygen remains elusive. Progress has been hindered by the difficulty in cultivating anaerobic benzene-degrading enrichment cultures. Our laboratory has sustained a methanogenic enrichment culture harboring ORM2, a benzene fermenter distinct from any known genus but related to other known or predicted benzene degraders. ORM2's slow doubling time (∼30 days) and extended lag phase after inoculation complicate its study. We developed a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) probe for ORM2, revealing rod-shaped cells
Evaluation of Bayesian Maximum Entropy Data Fusion Approaches to Estimate Styrene, Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes and to Inform Epidemiological Analyses in the US Gulf States. The Gulf States are home to industries emitting styrene, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (SBTEX). Presently, adverse health effects of ambient SBTEX exposure in highly polluted regions distance of high industrial activity experienced 1.64 times higher 97.5th percentile daily exposures to SBTEX on average than those living in less industrialized areas, which could contribute to total occupational and ambient exposure disparities. Furthermore, ambient benzene exposure was greater than the acceptable one-in-a-million excess cancer risk threshold for 75% of estimated residence locations
The Role of Formulation in Benzene Formation in Benzoyl Peroxide Products. This quality improvement study examines the effects of formulation on benzene levels detected in over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products.
Dynamic Mn-V(O) Associates Boosted Molecular Oxygen Activation for Benzene Combustion on Mn-Doped Mesocrystalline CeO(2). Highly efficient molecular oxygen activation over transition metal oxides toward catalytic abatement of aromatic volatile organic compounds (AVOCs) is possible yet challenging due to the easily deactivated surface oxygen vacancy (V). Herein, dynamic Mn-V associates were associates. Compared to pristine meso-CeO, the Mn/meso-CeO with dynamic Mn-V associates could efficiently activate O into a superoxide radical and a peroxanion (O and O) at higher reaction temperature (over 200 °C). Meanwhile, the O atom adjacent to Mn featuring substantially elevated Lewis acidity promoted the adsorption and activation of benzene. Consequently, the Mn/meso-CeO catalyst exhibited
Occupational benzene exposure and cancer risk among Chinese men: A report from the Shanghai Men's Health Study. Benzene exposure has been associated with increased leukemia and other cancer risk; however, epidemiological evidence is inconsistent for the latter and confounding from smoking and alcohol was rarely adjusted. We investigated associations of occupational benzene exposure and risk of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, lung, stomach, liver, and kidney cancers in a population-based cohort of 61,377 men ages 40-74. A job-exposure matrix, constructed by industrial hygienists specifically for the study population, was used to derive cumulative benzene exposure from all jobs held. Cox regressions were performed to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI
Fostering a Holistic Understanding of the Full Volatility Spectrum of Organic Compounds from Benzene Series Precursors through Mechanistic Modeling. A comprehensive understanding of the full volatility spectrum of organic oxidation products from the benzene series precursors is important to quantify the air quality and climate effects of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and new particle formation (NPF). However, current models fail to capture the full volatility spectrum due to the absence of important reaction pathways. Here, we develop a novel unified model framework, the integrated two-dimensional volatility basis set (I2D-VBS), to simulate the full volatility spectrum of products from benzene series precursors by simultaneously representing first-generational oxidation, multigenerational
Evaluation of Benzene Presence and Formation in Benzoyl Peroxide Drug Products. The potent carcinogen, benzene, is a known degradation product of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and was recently reported to form when BPO drug products, used for acne and rosacea treatment, are incubated at body temperature and elevated temperatures expected during storage and transportation. This study provides evidence for a wide range of benzene concentrations (0.16 ppm to 35.30 ppm) detected by GC-MS in 111 over-the-counter BPO drug products tested and maintained at room temperature. A prescription encapsulated BPO drug product was stability tested at cold (2°C) and elevated temperature (50°C), resulting in no apparent benzene formation at 2°C, and high levels of benzene formation at 50°C, suggesting that encapsulation
Exposure to benzene and other hydrocarbons and risk of bladder cancer among male offshore petroleum workers. Occupational exposures constitute the second leading cause of urinary bladder cancer after tobacco smoking. Increased risks have been found in the petroleum industry, but high-quality exposure data are needed to explain these observations. Using a prospective case-cohort design, we . Hazard ratios were estimated by weighted Cox-regressions, adjusted for age, tobacco smoking, education, and year of first employment, and with lagged exposures. Increased risks were found in benzene-exposed workers, either long-term exposure (≥18.8 years, HR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.14-3.13; p-trend = 0.044) or high-level cumulative benzene exposure (HR = 1.60, 95% CI: 0.97-2.63; p-trend = 0.065), compared
Long-Term Exposure to Low-Level Ambient Benzene and Mortality in a National English Cohort. Benzene affects human health through environmental exposure in addition to occupational contact. However, few studies have examined the associations between long-term exposure to low-level ambient benzene and mortality risks in non-occupational settings. This prospective cohort study consists of 393,042 participants without stroke, myocardial infarction, or cancer at baseline from the UK Biobank. Annual average concentrations of benzene for each year during follow-up were measured using air dispersion models. The main outcomes were all-cause mortality as well as mortality from specific causes. Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying exposure measurements were used to estimate the hazard ratios
Catalytic Ozonation of Polluter Benzene from -20 to >50 °C with High Conversion Efficiency and Selectivity on Mullite YMn(2)O(5). Catalytic decomposition of aromatic polluters at room temperature represents a green route for air purification but is currently challenged by the difficulty of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) on catalysts. Herein, we develop a mullite catalyst YMnO (YMO ) with dual active sites of Mn and Mn and use ozone to produce a highly reactive O* upon YMO. Such a strong oxidant species on YMO shows complete removal of benzene from -20 to >50 °C with a high CO selectivity (>90%) through the generated reactive species O* on the catalyst surface (60 000 mL g h). Although the accumulation of water and intermediates gradually lowers the reaction rate after 8 h at 25 °C
Gas and Propane Combustion from Stoves Emits Benzene and Increases Indoor Air Pollution. Exposure pathways to the carcinogen benzene are well-established from tobacco smoke, oil and gas development, refining, gasoline pumping, and gasoline and diesel combustion. Combustion has also been linked to the formation of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde indoors from gas stoves. To our knowledge, however, no research has quantified the formation of benzene indoors from gas combustion by stoves. Across 87 homes in California and Colorado, natural gas and propane combustion emitted detectable and repeatable levels of benzene that in some homes raised indoor benzene concentrations above well-established health benchmarks. Mean benzene emissions from gas and propane burners on high
Transient Oxygen Exposure Causes Profound and Lasting Changes to a Benzene-Degrading Methanogenic Community. We investigated the impact of oxygen on a strictly anaerobic, methanogenic benzene-degrading enrichment culture derived decades ago from oil-contaminated sediment. The culture includes a benzene fermenter from candidate clade Sva0485 (referred to as ORM2) and methanogenic archaea. A one -time injection of 0.1 mL air , simulating a small leak into 30 mL batch culture bottle, had no measurable impact on benzene degradation rates, although retrospectively, a tiny enrichment of aerobic taxa was detected. A subsequent 100 times larger injection of air stalled methanogenesis and caused drastic perturbation of the microbial community. A benzene-degrading became highly enriched and consumed
Estimation of the Exposure-Response Relation between Benzene and Acute Myeloid Leukemia by Combining Epidemiologic, Human Biomarker, and Animal Data. Chemical risk assessment can benefit from integrating data across multiple evidence bases, especially in exposure-response curve (ERC) modeling when data across the exposure range are sparse. We estimated the ERC for benzene and acute myeloid % PI, 0.85-3.42), respectively. Integrating the available epidemiologic, biomarker, and animal data resulted in more precise risk estimates for benzene exposure and AML, although the large between-study heterogeneity hampers interpretation of these results. The harmonization steps required to fit the Bayesian meta-regression model involve a range of assumptions that need to be critically evaluated
Association of metabolites of benzene and toluene with lipid profiles in Korean adults: Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2015-2017). Environmental exposure to benzene and toluene is a suspected risk factor for metabolic disorders among the general adult population. However, the effects of benzene and toluene on blood lipid profiles remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between urinary blood lipid profiles and metabolites of benzene and toluene in Korean adults. We analyzed the data of 3,423 adults from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey Cycle 3 (2015-2017). We used urinary trans,trans-muconic acid (ttMA) as a biomarker of benzene exposure, and urinary benzylmercapturic acid (BMA) as an indicator of toluene exposure. Multivariate logistic
Comparison of the effects of ivermectin, permethrin, and gamma benzene hexachloride alone and with that of combination therapy for the management of scabies. The present study compared three scabicidal agents alone or with combination, the currently considered medicine of choice permethrin, oral ivermectin, and gamma benzene hexachloride in the local population of India. A total of 120 patients were studied. They were randomly divided into four groups -Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D. Group A received topical 5% permethrin and oral placebo. Group B was given topical placebo cream and oral ivermectin in two dose regimen. Group C received topical 1% gamma benzene hexachloride with oral placebo, and Group D was given topical 5% permethrin and oral ivermectin. The improvement of lesions
Plasma metabolomics study reveals the critical metabolic signatures for benzene-induced hematotoxicity. Metabolomics has been used to explore the molecular mechanism and screen biomarkers. However, the critical metabolic signatures associated with benzene-induced hematotoxicity remain elusive. Here, we performed a plasma metabolomics study in 86 benzene-exposed workers and 76 healthy controls , followed by a validation analysis in mice, to investigate the dynamical change of the metabolic profile. We found that 8 fatty acids were significantly altered in both benzene-exposed worker and benzene-exposed animal models. These metabolites were significantly associated with S-phenylmercapturic acid and WBC, and they mediated the benzene-induced WBC decline. Furthermore, in vivo results confirm
Anaerobic Benzene Biodegradation Linked to the Growth of Highly Specific Bacterial Clades. Reliance on bioremediation to remove benzene from anoxic environments has proven risky for decades but for unknown reasons. Research has revealed a strong link between anaerobic benzene biodegradation and the enrichment of highly specific microbes, including in the family and the deltaproteobacterial Candidate Sva0485 clade. Using aquifer materials from Canadian Forces Base Borden, we compared five bioremediation approaches in batch microcosms. Under conditions simulating natural attenuation or sulfate biostimulation, benzene was not degraded after 1-2 years of incubation and no enrichment of known benzene-degrading microbes occurred. In contrast, nitrate-amended microcosms reported benzene