Benzene
Benzene is one of the most prolific industrial chemicals in the United States.
Companies use benzene make plastics, resins, nylon and other synthetic fibers. It is also used to make types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides.
Benzene occurs naturally in volcanoes, forest fires, crude oil, and tobacco smoke.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, breathing very high levels of benzene for a very long period of time can cause a decrease in red blood cells potentially leading to anemia or leukemia. Breathing sustained but lesser levels can cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, or even unconcisouness.
As a result, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a permissible exposure limit of one part of benzene per million parts of air ( 1 ppm) in the workplace during a typical eight-hour day/forty-hour work week.