Benzene, a multi-organ carcinogen

Abstract

Benzene has been shown to be both an animal and a human carcinogen. It is a multipotential carcinogen that causes human cancers of the lympho-haematopoietic system, kidney, liver, stomach, colon, and lung. Lympho-haematoreticular neoplasias, caused by benzene exposure in humans, include leukaemias, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, reticulum cell sarcoma and more. The lowest observable effect levels for benzene for all lympho-haematopoietic cancers combined is 0.14 parts per million. This is seven times lower than the current OSHA standard and consistent with that recommended by NIOSH. Applying a safety factor of 10 gives a value of 0.014 parts per million or 14 parts per billion and indicates that a “safe” concentration of benzene is far below that currently recommended by OSHA and 10-fold lower than recommended by NIOSH. It is reasonable and prudent to conclude that there is no safe level of exposure to benzene above zero that can protect workers and the public from the carcinogenic effects of benzene.