|
Benzene Exposure Risks
Benzene poses the greatest risk to workers using petroleum solvents
containing benzene. Although using benzene in the U.S. as a solvent
has been banned for many years now, workers using solvents continue
to be exposed to benzene because it is still present in some degree
in most petroleum solvents. The workers can develop benzene poisoning
through inhalation of the vapors evaporating from the solvent and
by absorbing it through their skin by handling materials soaked
with the solvents.
The consequences of exposure to benzene can be deadly. Benzene
has been shown to cause rare forms of
leukemia, including acute
myelogenous leukemia, acute
lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic
myelogenous leukemia. Contacting our experienced and proven
benzene attorneys can allow you to collect a large compensation
for the potentially fatal health conditions that benzene is known
to cause.
Exposure to Benzene: Workers At Risk
- Painters
- Chemical workers
- Gasoline distribution workers
- Refinery workers
- Shoe/leather workers
- Rubber workers
- Pesticides manufacturing workers
- Printers
- Paper and pulp manufacturing workers
- Adhesive production workers
- Newspaper press workers
Workplace Benzene Exposure Limits
OSHA - The legal airborne permissible exposure limit is 1
ppm averaged over an 8-hour work shift and 5 ppm not to be exceeded
during any 15-minute work period.
NIOSH - The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.1 ppm
averaged over a 10-hour work shift and 1 ppm not to be exceeded
during any 15-minute work period.
ACGIH - The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.5 ppm
averaged over an 8-hour work shift and 2.5 ppm as a short-term exposure
limit.
|
FEATURE BENZENE
ARTICLE
|
|
In 1994, the
Houston Chronicle printed an article reporting on the near
death of a contract electrician and instrumentation specialist,
Mark Niemann, of acute myelogenous leukemia. The very rare
form of cancer was the result of a prolonged exposure to benzene
at the Houston-area refineries and chemical plants he was
employed at. Niemann recalled being drenched in quench oil
at a chemical plant he was employed at without protective
clothing. It was not until later that he found out quench
oil contains benzene. Niemann would return home where his
wife would handle and wash his oil soaked clothing.
Other encounters
Niemann had with benzene was at a concrete pool where hydrocarbons
are skimmed from wastewater and the company did not require
a respirator. Respirators and gloves were also withheld in
various different positions. At other plants Niemann encountered
gasoline, containing benzene, with open streams. The plant
officials would inform the employees that if a chemical got
on them they had to take a shower. The plant would spray them
with various things and the employees never gave it a second
thought according to Niemann.
Niemann thinks
that contract workers "doesn't have a chance" when
becoming informed about chemical hazards in the workplace.
When Niemann found out he had acute
myelogenous leukemia his platelet count dropped from an
already decreased 52,000 to an almost fatal 11,000 and his
weight fell from 140 to 111. Although his acute myelogenous
leukemia is in remission, experts say it takes five years
to prove an individual is over it. The acute myelogenous leukemia
left Niemann with a substantially altered decreased mental
and physical state.
-Houston Chronicle, Fall 1994
|
If you have been exposed to benzene at the
workplace and would like more information, please contact
us. |
Individual Rights And Exposure to Benzene
Obtaining copies of sampling results from your employer is a legal
right under OSHA 1910.1020. Exposure to hazardous substances, like
benzene, should be routinely evaluated. If work-related health problems
from exposure to benzene are suspected immediately see a doctor
that is rained to recognize occupational diseases such as benzene
poisoning. If you have been exposed to benzene at the workplace
and would like more information, please contact
us.
|
