HEALTH HAZARDS OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO BENZENE, A TYPICAL

VOLATILE ORGANIC CHEMICAL (VOC).

1

Akinduko D.S. & 1Chukwuemelie Z.

1. Department of Chemical Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan,
Nigeria.

ABSTRACT
According to EUR-Lex, European Union Publications Office (2010), volatile organic chemicals
are organic compounds having an initial boiling point less than or equal to 2500C measured at a
standard atmospheric pressure of 101kPa and can do damage to visual or audible senses. VOCs
can cause a variety of health effects depending on the chemical. Harmful VOCs are typically not
acutely toxic but instead have compounding long-term (chronic) health effects. The exhaled
human breath contains a few hundred volatile organic chemicals and is used in breath analysis to
serve as a VOC biomarker to test for diseases such as lung cancer (Buszewski et al, 2007). It
appears that VOC compounds in the body may be either produced by metabolic processes or
inhaled/absorbed from exogenous sources such as environmental tobacco smoke (Mazzone,
2008). Exposure to tobacco smoke-related chemicals is widely believed to pose significant health
risks (Sydney et al, 2002). Sasco and Vaino (1999) suggested that prenatal or childhood passive
exposure to parents smoking significantly increases the risk of childhood and adult cancers.
Benzene as a major VOC: Studies by Jo & Pack (2000) showed that active cigarette smoking
directly affects the levels of benzene and other VOCs in breath and blood. According to Wallace
(1996), smokers receive 89% of their benzene exposure directly from smoking; non-smokers
derive about 10% of their exposure from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). According to
Cancer Research UK, tobacco smoke contains large amounts of benzene and accounts for a big
proportion of our exposure to this poison. The average smoker inhales about ten times more
benzene than the average non-smokers. The United State Environmental Protection Agency
(1997) classified benzene as a group A human carcinogen because of is hematotoxicity which
thus
predisposes
exposed
individuals
to
acute
myeloid
leukaemia.
Also, benzene known to be emitted from gas flares in undocumented quantities is well
recognized as a cause for leukemia and other blood-related diseases (Tawari and Abowei, 2012).
Gas flaring is one of the hottest environmental issues in Nigeria (Tawari and Abowei, 2012),
particularly in the Niger Delta region. Flaring is the controlled burning of the waste natural gas
associated with oil production (Bassel, 1981). While flaring in the West has been minimized, in
Nigeria it has grown proportionally with oil production (Baird, 2010). Gas flares have potentially
harmful effects on the health and livelihood of the communities in their vicinity, as they release a
variety of poisonous chemicals (Tawari and Abowei, 2012) which include benzene.
Comment: The write-up is based on a systematic review of articles in an attempt to update our
knowledge on the potential health hazards of chronic exposure to volatile organic chemicals
(VOCs) of which benzene is a prominent example.

Conclusion: A variety of hazards are caused by volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) depending on
the chemical, and chronic exposure to benzene in particular, may predispose an individual to
cancer.
References
1. Baird, J., (July 26, 2010). Oil's Shame in Africa. Newsweek, 27.
2. Bassal, F., (1981). Analysis of air pollutant. John Wiley and Sons, New-York, pp: 86.
3. Buszewski Boguslaw, Kesy Martyna, Ligor Tomasz, Amann Anton (2007). Human
exhaled air analytics: biomarkers of diseases. Biomedical Chromatography 21(6): 553566
4. CANCER
RESEARCH
UK(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerinfo/healthyliving/smokingandtobacco/whatsinacigarette/smoking-and-cancer-whats-ina-cigarette)
5. EUR/Lex, European Union Publications Office. Retrieved on 2010-09-28. Directive
2004/42/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on the
limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents
in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products.
International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 1(2): 94-117.
6. Jo W-K, Pack K-W, (2000). Utilization of breath analysis for exposure estimates of
benzene associated with active smoking. Environ Res A83:180187.
7. Mazzone PJ (2008). Analysis of volatile organic compounds in the exhaled breath for
the diagnosis of lung cancer. Journal of thoracic oncology: official publication of the
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 3(7): 774-80
8. Sasco AJ, Vainio H, (1999). From in utero and childhood exposure to parental smoking
to childhood cancer: a possible link and the need for action. Hum Exp Toxicol 18:192
201.
9. Sydney M. Gordon, Lance A. Wallace, Marielle C. Brinkman, Patrick J. Callahan, and
Donald V. Kenny (2002). Volatile Organic Compounds as Breath Biomarkers for Active
and
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110:
689698
http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110p689-698gordon/abstract.html
10. Tawari CC, and Abowei JFN, (2012). Air Pollution in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria
11. U.S. EPA (1997). Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) on Benzene. Cincinnati,
OH:Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Perspect 104(6): 11291136.
Corresponding Author: samkinduko@gmail.com
VOCs can cause a variety of health effects depending on the chemical. Harmful VOCs are
typically not acutely toxic but instead have compounding long-term (chronic) health effects. It
appears that VOC compounds in the body (particularly benzene) may be a direct result of
inhalation from exogenous sources such as environmental tobacco smoke, and gas flaring.

According to Cancer Research UK, tobacco smoke contains large amounts of benzene and
accounts for a big proportion of our exposure to this poison. The average smoker inhales about
ten times more benzene than the average non-smokers. The United State Environmental
Protection Agency (1997) classified benzene as a group A human carcinogen because of is
hematotoxicity which thus predisposes exposed individuals to acute myeloid leukaemia. Gas
flaring remains a serious environmental issue in Nigerias Niger Delta region, and can potentially
cause harmful effects on the health and wellbeing of exposed individuals in its vicinity as it
releases a variety of poisonous chemicals, which also include benzene.
Conclusion: A variety of hazards are caused by volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) depending on
the chemical, and chronic exposure to benzene in particular, may predispose an individual to
cancer.