Vigliani and alessandra forni cliniea del lavoro l. The overall standardized mortality ratio smr for leukemia was 337. Guidance for benzene in residential indoor air canada. The relationship between benzene, the smallest and most stable aromatic hydrocarbon, and leukemia has been reported in the past for workers with high exposures, when benzene in the commercial form benzol was used largely as a solvent, especially in the shoe industry and in rotogravure printing. A case of leukemia attributable to occupational benzene 71432 exposure was examined.
Pdf risk factors and primary prevention of acute leukemia. Boxplotsof houston benzene concentration trimmed scale benzene concentrations 2005 ppbv 0 0. October 2006 presentation mealeys benzene litigation seminar robert j. Occupational exposures to benzene, carbon tetrachloride, and tce have been linked with an increased risk of cancer glass et al. Benzene is a human carcinogen based on epidemiological data, providing clear evidence for a causal association between exposure to benzene and acute myeloid leukae mia aml acute nonlymphocytic leukaemia. Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon that, with sufficient cumulative lifetime doses, can cause acute myelogenous leukemia. Acute leukemias are rare diseases, but have a disproportionally large effect on cancer survival statistics. Benzene is a naturally occurring chemical but is also a chemical that is used in the production of a range of products, including plastics, solvents, paints, dyes, and a range of chemical and household products. Occupational benzene exposure and the risk of lymphoma. Increased leukemiaassociated gene expression in benzene. Childhood leukemias are the most common cancers affecting children.
Table s3 summarizes the results of the metaanalysis on aml. Public meeting proceedings of july 21, 2004 input on gaps in cll radiogenicity research iii. Devoto, university of milan, italy received april 21, 1975 benzene is known as a severe bone marrow poison. Penati and vigliani of the institute for industrial medicine, university of turin, reported in 1938, the first estimates of the frequency of leukemia among workers exposed to benzene at their jobs during 19281938. Studies have found even low benzene exposure can increase leukemia risk. Benzene is classified as a known carcinogen based on occupational studies in adults that demonstrated increased incidence of several types of leukemia in exposed adults 1, 2, 9. Leukemia is benzenes most serious, longterm health risk. Potential doseresponse relation revealed for benzene and acute myeloid leukemia. Exposure to benzene, an important industrial chemical and component of gasoline, is a widely recognized cause of leukemia, but its association with nonhodgkin lymphoma nhl is less clear.
Temporal variation in the association between benzene and. Benzene and haematological cancers iarc publications. It has been synthesized from coal since 1849 and from petroleum sources since 1941. Today, occupational exposures are controlled by law and. The health watch casecontrol study of leukemia and benzene. Longterm exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, cancer of the bloodforming organs. It is also to be found in the petroleum industry as well as in cigarette smoke.
These agents are recog nized as causes of acute myeloid leukaemia aml, and all have been implicated in the. A casecontrol study nested in the health watch cohort of petroleum industry workers, investigated whether the excess of lymphohematopoetic cancers, identified among male members of the. Committee for risk assessment rac opinion on scientific. This study was to identify genetic alternations involved in pathogenesis. Benzeneinduced acute myeloid leukemia aml is considered a secondary form of aml, based both in theory and on. Hematotoxicity and oxidative stress caused by benzene. Benzene and leukemia benzene is a highly volatile aromatic hydrocarbon solvent which is present in most petroleum distillates such as stoddard solvent and mineral spirits. First, if the benzene was released into the air, get fresh air by leaving the area where the benzene was released. Recent advances in the purification process for these solvents has reduced the benzene content. Original article exhibit leukemia risk associated with lowlevel benzene exposure deborah c. Complete the course evaluation and posttest no later than june 29, 2006. Benzene is a suspected, but uncertain, risk factor for childhood acute leukemia.
Animal and occupational exposure studies implicate benzene as a causal risk factor for leukemia. Exposure to benzene is highest in areas of heavy motor vehicle traffic and around gasoline filling stations. The p53 dna damage response is activated in the bone marrow in response to inhaled benzene boley et al. Analysis of historical exposures of pressmen to airborne. Benzene lawsuit aml leukemia is benzene exposure the. Benzene is a cause of acute myeloid leukemia aml and myelodys plastic syndrome. Benzene exposure and risk of nonhodgkin lymphoma cancer. Toxicological profile for benzene supplements the profile that was released in 2007. Enhanced benzene estimates account for activity and multiple sources of exposure.
Benzene is formed from natural processes, such as volcanoes and forest fires, but most exposure to benzene results from human activities. Researchers examined medical histories of 25,000 norwegian oil rig workers. Personyears at risk within the cohort were stratified by increasing levels of cumulative benzene exposure. There are also positive association between benzene exposure and acutechronic lymphocytic leukemia, nonhodgkin lymphoma, and myeloma. A male laboratory technician who had used benzene to calibrate spectrophotometers from 1971 through 1975 developed leukemia 15 years later.
Exposure to benzene at work and the risk of leukemia. The expected number of leukemia deaths was calculated and compared to the actual number of leukemia deaths that occurred. Acute myelogenous leukemia aml is a blood and bone marrow cancer. Benzene is a volatile organic compound voc with a relatively high vapour pressure, moderatetohigh water solubility, and low octanolwater partition coefficient, that is released primarily to air. Abstract excessive exposure to benzene has been known for more than a century to damage the bone marrow resulting in decreases in the numbers of circulating blood cells, and ultimately, aplastic anemia. Benzene, an aromatic hydrocarbon, is a clear, usually colourless liquid with a gasolinelike odour. National institute for occupational safety and health niosh in usa conducted cohort study of 459 benzene exposure workers from 1940 through 1975 3. Benzene exposure and the risk of acute myeloid leukemia aml the studyspecific effect estimates for the relation between benzene exposure and the risk of aml appear in additional file 1. A 2015 benzene study looked at leukemia risks from low exposure.
A casecontrol study nested in the health watch cohort of petroleum industry workers, investigated whether the excess of lymphohematopoetic cancers, identified among male members of the health watch cohort, was associated with benzene exposure. Longterm exposure to benzene causes several adverse health effects, including an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia risk associated with lowlevel benzene exposure. Aml leukemia as it is often called, can be caused by exposure petrochemical products containing benzene, xylene, naptha, toluene and other aromatic hydrocarbons. Toxicological profiles are developed in response to the superfund amendments and reauthorization act sara of 1986 which amended the comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act of 1980 cercla or superfund. Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula c 6 h 6. Brautbar n 2006 leukaemia and low level benzene concentration. All had worked on offshore rigs for at least 20 days. There is also evidence of an association between benzene exposure and the preleukemic stage myelodysplastic syndromes mds and a. Aml occurs in the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. Early reports associating benzene exposure with leukemia represented individual cases 27,28,29. The international agency for research on cancer iarc classified benzene as a group 1 carcinogen carcinogenic to humans in its 1982 and 1987 evaluations iarc 1982, 1987 based primarily on reports of an association between occupational exposure to benzene and leukemia, particularly acute nonlymphocytic leukemia anll, which consists primarily of acute myelogenous leukemia aml.
Because of its volatility and solvent properties, it was used in the printing industry in inks, ink solvents, and cleaning agents from the 1930s to the 1970s. Benzene is an important commercial commodity that, because of its frequent use, has become widespread in the environment of developed countries. Of more recent vintage has been the appreciation that an alternative outcome of benzene. Benzene occurs naturally as a constituent of crude oil. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Kelly, a partner in the new jersey office, will be presenting a seminar session on parker v. Although rates have improved remarkably in the younger age group, the prognosis in older patients continues to be very poor. Benzene is a colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet odor. Of more recent vintage has been the appreciation that an alternative outcome of benzene exposure has been the development of one or more types of leukemia.
In the main analysis based on 9 articles, the fixedeffects model yielded a summary. Benzene is among the 20 most widely used chemicals in the united states. Trace amounts of benzene are produced from the incomplete combustion of organic materials. As it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, benzene is classed as a hydrocarbon benzene is a natural constituent of crude oil and is one of the elementary petrochemicals. Pdf excessive exposure to benzene has been known for more than a century. Risk of acute myelogenous leukaemia and myelodysplasia. Excessive exposure to benzene has been known for more than a century to damage the bone marrow resulting in decreases in the numbers of circulating blood cells, and ultimately, aplastic anemia. Analysis of the spatial proximity of childhood leukemia to. Benzene has also been shown to be genotoxic cause damage to dna in experimental animal studies 1, 2, 9. Analysis of the spatial proximity of childhood leukemia to high traffic roads in utah summary leukemias are malignant neoplasms of hematopoietic stem cells.
Investigation of aplastic anemia in relation to concerns. Hodgkins lymphoma n 31, multiple myeloma n 15, and leukemia n 33 were. How you can protect yourself, and what to do if you are exposed to benzene. Current understanding of the mechanism of benzeneinduced. Epidemiological studies suggest an association between an increased incidence of childhood leukemia and benzene exposure during the early stages of pregnancy. It has been identified by health canada as a priority indoor air contaminant through consultations with provincial and territorial health departments, as well as with key stakeholders in industrial. Of these chemicals, the strongest causal association between exposure and cancer development is for benzene, where relatively low levels of exposure have been linked. In the united states, gasoline contains up to 2% benzene by volume. A quantitative decisionbased voluntary benzene reduction. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia cll is the most common adult leukemia in the western world. Notch 1 activation in the molecular pathogenesis of tcell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
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