Recent research has shown deadly levels of the carciogenic toxin Benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the chemical formula C₆H₆. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. As it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, benzene is classed as a hydrocarbon.Benzene
Is benzene in a car dangerous?
A warning about a chemical called benzene that is linked to cancer such as leukemia . The warning says that benzene can build up inside parked automobiles and suggests that drivers roll down their windows to ventilate the car’s interior prior to switching on the air conditioner. The Truth:
How much benzene is in a car with windows open?
ORIGIN. A car parked indoors with the windows closed will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene. If parked outdoors under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level … and the people inside the car will inevitably inhale an excess amount of the toxins.
What is the benzene level in a car?
If parked outdoors under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level. People who get into the car, keeping windows closed will inevitably inhale, in quick succession, excessive amounts of the toxin.
Is your car’s A/C system producing benzene?
Many readers have come away from viewing this piece with the impression that it warns drivers not to use their cars’ air conditioning because the A/C system itself is producing benzene, but what the article actually cautions against is the practice of turning on the air conditioning immediately upon entering an automobile.
See more
Does car release benzene?
Car interiors contain toxic levels of cancer-causing benzene emitted by dashboards, car seats, and air fresheners, and recommends opening windows to expel trapped benzene gas before turning on the car air conditioner. A car parked indoors with windows closed will only contain 400-800 mg of Benzene.
Is there benzene in gasoline?
Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke. Benzene is widely used in the United States. It ranks in the top 20 chemicals for production volume. Some industries use benzene to make other chemicals that are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers.
Why shouldn't you leave your AC on full blast when you turn off your car?
It's rather a deadly mistake. Your car may actually be killing you by releasing toxic levels of a cancer-causing chemical called benzene. Dangerous levels of this dangerous chemical are released from the plastic surfaces of automobile interiors.
How can you be exposed to benzene?
People can be exposed to benzene in the environment from gasoline fumes, automobile exhaust, emissions from some factories, and waste water from certain industries. Benzene is commonly found in air in both urban and rural areas, but the levels are usually very low.
What is benzene commonly found in?
Benzene is a widely used industrial chemical. Benzene is found in crude oil and is a major part of gasoline. It's used to make plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, rubber lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides. Benzene is produced naturally by volcanoes and forest fires.
What products are benzene found in?
Products Containing BenzenePaint, lacquer, and varnish removers.Industrial solvents.Gasoline and other fuels.Glues.Paints.Furniture wax.Detergents.Thinners.More items...•
Can I sleep in my car with the AC running?
Answer provided by. While wanting to turn on the AC during a trip to the Southwest is understandable, studies show that sleeping in your car with the AC running may lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. This can lead to a trip to the hospital or even death.
Is it OK to run car AC while parked?
Avoid placing a strain on your car's cooling and electrical systems during these end-of-summer months. Pre-cooling your vehicle might seem like a good idea, but it'll waste plenty of fuel and time. It's far better to be driving while you're cooling off the inside of your car.
Does being idle waste gas?
Idling wastes fuel – and money. Vehicles get ZERO miles-per-gallon while idling. Larger vehicles tend to waste more fuel than smaller ones. Idling can also cause greater engine wear-and-tear over time, resulting in higher maintenance costs.
How long does benzene stay in your body?
Benzene is quickly eliminated from your system, usually within 48 hours. It is converted to products, medically known as metabolites, in the liver and bone marrow. Some of the harmful consequences of benzene exposure are caused by these metabolites.
What is the smell of benzene?
Benzene has a sweet, aromatic, gasoline-like odor. Most individuals can begin to smell benzene in air at 1.5 to 4.7 ppm. The odor threshold generally provides adequate warning for acutely hazardous exposure concentrations but is inadequate for more chronic exposures.
What does benzene do to your body?
Benzene poisoning can be lethal because it causes the cells in the body to work incorrectly. Benzene exposure can cause bone marrow cells to not produce red blood cells or it can can cause the white blood cells of your immune system to fail.
Why is benzene used in gasoline?
A research team led by Northwestern's Tobin J. Marks has found a way to remove it. “The gasoline we buy is one-third a mixture of aromatics, and benzene is one of them,” said Marks, explaining that aromatics are necessary to improve gas octane numbers and fuel efficiency.
What toxic chemicals are in gasoline?
Typically, gasoline contains more than 150 chemicals including small amounts of benzene, toluene, xylene, and sometimes lead.
How is benzene used in gasoline?
Benzene also is used to make some types of lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, explosives and pesticides. Benzene is naturally found in crude oil. Crude oil is refined into gasoline by using heat, pressure and chemicals in the refinery to separate the spectrum of petroleum products from crude oil.
How much benzene is there in petrol?
The benzene concentrations at gasoline stations in this study ranged from 0.03 to 65.71 parts per billion (ppb) which did not exceed the OEL (100 ppb) recommended by NIOSH [5].
VERIFY: Is your car killing you with benzene?
A 13News Now viewer asked us to Verify a post that asserts turning on the A/C when you first get into that hot car is circulating something being emitted from plastic surfaces, like your dashboard: a dangerous toxin called Benzene.
Help VERIFY
Help our journalists VERIFY the news. Do you know someone else we should interview for this story? Did we miss anything in our reporting? Is there another story you'd like us to VERIFY? Click here.
What is the eRumor warning?
Summary of eRumor: A warning about a chemical called benzene that is linked to cancer such as leukemia . The warning says that benzene can build up inside parked automobiles and suggests that drivers roll down their windows to ventilate the car’s interior prior to switching on the air conditioner.
How does benzene get into the air?
Exposure to benzene can come from consuming contaminated food or beverages but most people come into contact with it by breathing it in the air. The CDC says, “Benzene gets into the air from forest fires, car emissions, gasoline vapors, and tobacco smoke.
Is benzene harmful to cars?
The Truth: Benzene is a harmful chemical that can exist both inside vehicles and in the open air but warnings such as this eRumor about airing out your car interior may be overblown.
Where does benzene come from?
Click for report. Benzene comes from coal and petroleum products and is one of the most commonly made chemicals in the United States. It is a colorless liquid with a sweet smell that evaporates when it makes contact with the air.
Is benzene in paint?
Benzene is present in cigarette smoke, car exhausts, and can also be found in glues and paints, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC Fact Sheet on Benzene says, “Breathing in unusually high doses of benzene can cause difficulty in thinking, changes in heart function, unconsciousness, or death.
Is the smell of a new car toxic?
These are commonly used to test toxicity. New car smell does not appear to be toxic, the scientist s found. Air from the new car did cause a slight aggravation of the immune response that could affect people with allergies, but the same was not seen with the older vehicle.
Does air freshener cause cancer?
According to a research done, the car dashboard, sofa, air freshener emits Benzene, a Cancer causing toxin (carcinogen- take note of the heated plastic Smell in your car). In addition to causing cancer, it poisons your bones, causes anemia, and reduces white blood cells. Prolonged exposure will cause Leukemia, increasing the risk of cancer.
Is benzene a cancer?
A considerable number of human studies provide evidence linking benzene and cancer. Initially, increased risks of leukemia, chiefly AML, were reported among workers with high levels of benzene exposure in the chemical, shoemaking, and oil refining industries. More recently, studies have focused on workers with relatively lower exposure.
What is the source of benzene in the air?
How you could be exposed to benzene. Outdoor air contains low levels of benzene from tobacco smoke, gas stations, motor vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions. Indoor air generally contains levels of benzene higher than those in outdoor air. The benzene in indoor air comes from products that contain benzene such as glues, paints, furniture wax, ...
How to protect yourself from benzene?
First, if the benzene was released into the air, get fresh air by leaving the area where the benzene was released. Moving to an area with fresh air is a good way to reduce the possibility of death from exposure to benzene in the air.
How does benzene affect the body?
(Long-term exposure means exposure of a year or more.) Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia.
How does benzene affect the immune system?
For example, it can cause bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. Also, it can damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and causing the loss of white blood cells.
How is benzene poisoning treated?
How benzene poisoning is treated. Benzene poisoning is treated with supportive medical care in a hospital setting. No specific antidote exists for benzene poisoning. The most important thing is for victims to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
How to get rid of benzene in your body?
Washing yourself. As quickly as possible, wash any benzene from your skin with large amounts of soap and water. Washing with soap and water will help protect people from any chemicals on their bodies. If your eyes are burning or your vision is blurred, rinse your eyes with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes.
What is benzene used for?
Some industries use benzene to make other chemicals that are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene is also used to make some types of lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides.