26 Jan
2010
26 Jan
'10
11:25 a.m.
On 26 Jan 2010 at 18:24, Tony Duell wrote:
I suspect in a lot of cases the carcinogenic risk is
massively
overstated. It's probably a problem if you work with the stuff all day
every day, in large quantities. It's probably much less of a problem
(if a problem at all), if you use a little from time to time.
The cases that I've seen where benzene has had serious cancer
consequences are where it's gotten into the groundwater or where it's
been sloshed around without protection, such as in automotive tire-
making operations (used to adhere tire plies).
At one time it was widely used for dry cleaning, which resulted in a
lot of contamination. I can still remember benzene sold in bottles
as a spot remover, later replaced by carbon tet, also nasty.
But then, ordinary gasoline contains several carcinogenic substances.
That's why we have self-serve stations to spread the risk around.
--Chuck