Protons directly attached to an aromatic ring, commonly called aryl protons, show up about 6.5-8.0 PPM. If benzene touches the skin, it can result in redness and blisters. Ochoa said he asked whether his symptoms were related to the chemical fire. Toxic benzene has been found in antiperspirants, shampoos, sunscreens, hand sanitizers, and other products. Cancer.org is provided courtesy of the Leo and Gloria Rosen family. County health providers screened more than 900 people and referred the worst cases to local hospitals. What is benzene, exactly? It is formed through both natural processes and human activities, but importantly, a high level of exposure to benzene can be quite dangerous. Benzene Sources: Where It Can Be Found - FindLaw Visit our attorney directory to find a lawyer near you who can help. FDA is evaluating the root cause of benzene contamination and has alerted companies to the risk of benzene contamination in drug products and reminded them of their obligation to ensure their products meet appropriate quality specifications. Shonkoff, the environmental health sciences researcher at UC Berkeley, called the levels of benzene recorded by the EPA's air monitoring that day "crazy" and "very high. Benzene. There's been a growing concern among consumers that you can never be too sure what's in the sunscreen you're using or if its claims are valid. A second shelter-in-place when benzene "rears its ugly head" - March 21-22, 2019. Among the recalled hand sanitizer brands are Art Naturals, Best Brands and Natural Wunderz. Data from TCEQ's stationary and handheld monitors also indicated elevated benzene concentrations near the same times and locations as the EPA's mobile lab. FDA recommends consumers do not use products that are being recalled or those hand sanitizers FDA recommends consumers should not use. keys to navigate, use enter to select, Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. The fire began after a tank's pump failed and began to leak naphtha, a highly flammable liquid. The air monitoring "seems like a waste" if the public wasn't immediately told about the danger, said Craft, one of the authors of the study that concluded that more shelter-in-place advisories and air quality warnings should have been issued during the ITC disaster. Provides assistance and information about the management of occupational exposures to benzene. These results support the finding of an excess risk of leukemia in humans. More than 800 students returned for classes at the elementary school the next morning. The contaminated sunscreens include both chemical and mineral formulas. Since at least 2002, EPA and TCEQ inspectors had reported high emissions of benzene and other chemicals from that same area. Motoring down East 13th Street, the van passed brick houses, a United Methodist Church and an elementary school with a playground nestled in the shade of tall, skinny pine trees. Valisure is now petitioning for the Food and Drug Administration to recall the products on its list. "One of the things that I think the government tries hard to do is to be fair to everyone without being too quick to overly react," Garcia said. As FDA works to better understand the potential sources of benzene in drugs, FDA reminds manufacturers of drugs marketed under approved applications and manufacturers of other drugs, including over-the-counter monograph drug products, of their obligation to ensure their products conform to appropriate quality specifications. How benzene is landing in products remains a bit of a mystery in some instances. A group of mostly Houston-area scientists using the most recent science on benzene exposure said that officials should have used a much more conservative threshold - 27 parts per billion in two consecutive hourly readings - and issued seven more shelter-in-place orders and 17 air quality alerts after the fire broke out. When inhaled or swallowed, benzene has been found to cause different types of tumors in lab animals such as rats and mice. It is only slightly soluble in water but readily soluble with most organic solvents. Benzene is less dense than water and will float on the surface of water. Cars zoomed past her. High levels of exposure can cause both short-term and long-term health effects. The bus recorded several spikes of benzene above 1,000 parts per billion on Friday afternoon outside of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, a popular tourist destination just down the road from ITC (it was closed to the public during the fire). But Deer Park City Manager James Stokes said air monitoring readings looked "favorable" as the fire burned off the dangerous chemicals. Benzene: What to Know - WebMD A: FDA has alerted drug manufacturers to the risk of benzene contamination from drug components and other potential risk factors. Facts About Benzene. She stopped along a highway median, opened her car door and threw up. ITC said in a statement to the Tribune that there were "no longer-term public health impacts to the community" from the incident, pointing to an analysis by the Texas Department of State Health Services. What benzene is. Your Gas Stove May Be Leaking Benzene Into Your Kitchen Areas with heavy traffic, gas stations, and areas near industrial sources may also have higher air levels. Because it is volatile, it can spread to a distant source of ignition. "It's horrifying, scary. Available Every Minute of Every Day. Contacting the Drug Shortages Staff in writing allows manufacturers of certain covered drug products to meet applicable obligations to report discontinuances or interruptions in drug manufacture under 21 U.S.C. ", Benzene pollution lingers as life returns to normal - March 25-29, 2019. But the EPA's air monitoring bus continued detecting elevated levels of benzene as it drove through the industrial areas lining the Houston Ship Channel early that week, the Tribune's analysis shows. Ochoa quit his job as a pipe-fitter and found a job that doesn't expose him to chemicals. But when an incident occurs at a facility like ITC that's located in an unincorporated area of the county, deciding who has jurisdiction can be complicated. Copyright 2023, Thomson Reuters. Deer Park officials appeared to rely more on air monitoring readings from its hired contractor than the EPA's. Still, the company decided to recall those five varieties of aerosol sunscreens "out of an abundance of caution," according to the press release. Below is a list of commonly seen benzene-derived compounds. In such scenarios, the FDAs limit is two parts per million, but some products that provided no therapeutic advantage were found with levels as high as 21 ppm. FDA has recommended the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) remove (or omit) certain carbomer monographs from their compendium that allow for unacceptable levels of benzene (a USP monograph is a written document that provides the quality expectations for a medicine or ingredient). The attorney general's office did not respond to requests for an interview. When more foam was applied, he added, the benzene levels would drop. The Carcinogen Benzene Was Found In These 78 Sunscreens - Shape In the past it was also commonly used as an industrial solvent (a substance that can dissolve or extract other substances) and as a gasoline additive, but these uses have been greatly reduced in recent decades. Occupational exposure to benzene. Loren Hopkins, Chief Environmental Science Officer of Houston's health department, said she realized that when officials issue shelter-in-place advisories and nothing else, the message to the public is confusing: "It's all fine, up until all of the sudden it's terrible," she said. Rates ofleukemia, particularlyacute myeloid leukemia (AML), have been found to be higher in studies of workers exposed to high levels of benzene, such as those in the chemical, shoemaking, and oil refining industries. Q: Should consumers continue using sunscreen? They reopened state Highway 225, which borders the cluster of petrochemical plants and is residents' main route to drive into Houston for work. This contamination may be related to inactive ingredients such as carbomers (thickening agents), isobutane (a spray propellant), or other drug components made from hydrocarbons. She then watched as the smoke plume settled above the mourning family during the funeral service. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walks, ACS Center for Diversity in Research Training, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), and Related Chemicals. If you are person who smokes,try to quit. US Environmental Protection Agency. Emissions above that level don't trigger any regulatory action by the agency. On the heels of the report, Johnson & Johnson is recalling five of its sunscreens. 356C(b) and FDAs associated regulations. Benzene is a colourless liquid with a characteristic odour and is primarily used in the production of polystyrene. Long-term exposure to benzene mainly harms the bone marrow, the soft, inner parts of bones where new blood cells are made. Our partners at the Texas Tribune analyzed unreported air monitoring data from the ITC chemical fire. Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure of humans to benzene may cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, as well as eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation, and, at high levels . The affected sunscreens: Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol sunscreen, Neutrogena Invisible Daily defense aerosol sunscreen, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer aerosol sunscreen, and Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen. Benzene Gas Detector Market Share by 2030 - MarketWatch As Martyn Smith, a professor of toxicology and the Kenneth Howard and Marjorie Witherspoon Kaiser Endowed Chair in Cancer Epidemiology at University of California at Berkeley, explained to the Washington Post, "It's the building block for many chemicals in our world, including many drugs like aspirin and other things. The highest levels were found in Sure, Old Spice, Secret, Equate, Right Guard, Tag and Brut. The companys statement was posted by the FDA on its website even though agency scientists found in a July analysis obtained by Consumer Reports that benzene-contaminated sunscreen did pose a life-threatening risk. (The bone marrow is where new blood cells are made.) Other people who may be exposed to benzene at work include steel workers, printers, lab technicians, gas station employees, and firefighters. Leaving the cemetery, Contreras said she began to get headaches and feel nauseous as she drove to visit a friend in the Heights, a quiet Houston neighborhood known for its Victorian-style homes. But this doesn't mean you should stop wearing sunscreen altogether. Pregnant women and persons concerned about using sunscreens on infants or children are encouraged to consult their health care professional. He glanced again at the fluttering orange windsocks. By the next morning, the fire had spread to five additional tanks at the ITC facility, according to TCEQ and city of Deer Park records. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. Our team is made up of doctors andoncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing. The FDAs system really lacks independent review because it relies on companies to self report, Light said. So you want to check Valisure'sor Johnson & Johnson's list of impacted products rather than scanning your sunscreen's ingredient list to see whether "benzene" is listed. That highlights the complexities and lack of oversight in the global supply chains that produce personal care products. Carcinogenic chemical benzene found in hundreds of US personal care "What we're seeing is a fundamental problem in the manufacturing of a lot of consumer products." To date, Valisure has tested 662 . The level of exposure depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done. 2018. Medical authorities such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Dermatology, and major physicians associations endorse similar recommendations. ANSI Z37.4, Acceptable Concentrations of Benzene. For short-term exposure to high levels of benzene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting away from the source of benzene, removing any clothing that may have benzene on it, washing exposed areas with soap and water, and getting medical care as soon as possible. Manufacturers should also be prepared to provide FDA with test results and any information available on the potential source of the benzene to assist in FDAs analysis. Benzene is not an ingredient intentionally used in sunscreens, but the products on Valisure's list were found to be contaminated with benzene."Benzene is a chemical that, when activated with exposure to the skin, blood, or organs, can affect changes in your DNA that cause mutations for cancers," says Madhuri Chadha, M.D., founder of Dr. Madh Skin Solutions and radiologist currently working in . Popular Dry Shampoos Found to Have Cancer-Causing Chemical It may appear colorless . Benzene and Cancer Risk | American Cancer Society Firms, FindLaws team of legal writers and attorneys, Complaint For Loss Due To Product Defect and For Discovery, Industrial cleaning and degreasing formulations, Gasoline storage, shipment, and retail operations, The air around waste sites and gas service stations, Contaminated well water, as a result of benzene leaks from underground storage tanks or hazardous waste sites containing benzene. However, the evidence is not as strong for these cancers. However, most studies in people have not found an increased risk of cancers other than leukemia among those with higher exposures. At FindLaw.com, we pride ourselves on being the number one source of free legal information and resources on the web. The staff checked him out and took his temperature, then told him to take ibuprofen or Tylenol for the headaches and over-the-counter nausea medication. The Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSAT) rules reduce hazardous air pollutants, also known as air toxics, emitted by cars and trucks. The .gov means its official.Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. "[He was] gasping for air in his sleep.". Ochoa, the single father, left home at the usual time Monday morning and worked a 12-hour shift outdoors in the Houston Ship Channel installing pipes. "We don't know the source of the benzene, but it could relate to how a particular ingredient was manufactured, where it was sourced, or how it moved through the supply chain," Tod Cooperman, M.D., wrote in a review of the Valisure report for ConsumberLab.com.

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