It is a constituent of fuels, accounting for as much as 3% of gasoline. Virtually all cases of acute and chronic benzene toxicity have occurred as industrial exposure.
Acute benzene poisoning primarily affects the CNS and death results from respiratory failure. Like many solvents, benzene is readily soluble in lipids and rapidly crosses the blood-brain barrier to enter the central nervous system.
Low level neurologic toxicity is associated with headache and nausea, whereas higher levels cause alteration of consciousness progressing to coma and respiratory arrest.
Benzene was first identified as a hematological toxicant in the nineteenth century. Experience since that time has amply confirmed the ability of benzenes to destroy bone marrow precursor cells that are responsible for the production of mature circulating blood cells in humans.
Benzene is toxic to the skin. Direct contact may cause erythema and blistering. Long term direct contact removes lipids from the skin tissue and may results in the development of a dry, scaly dermatitis, which further increases dermal exposure.
It also has been suggested that benzene may lead to fatal cardiac arrhythmias in workers exerting vigorous activity, such as attempting to remove a fallen comrade during a rescue operation by sensitizing the myocardium to catecholamines.
Benzene is a known cause of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), the adult form of acute leukemia that was almost uniformly fatal; until recent advances in chemotherapy.
The toxicity of benzene
