(More on that, below.). Mouton thanked first responders for their service. Although FDA testing is rigorous and standards are high, it's not a foolproof system, she adds. While scientists have found that years of repeated exposure to benzene causes cancer, the long-term impact of being exposed to brief but high levels of benzene is less certain. "After the fire fight was over, that's when the benzene issues began to rear their ugly head," said Royall, the former assistant chief of Harris County Fire Marshal's Office. But Seth Shonkoff, an associate researcher of environmental health sciences at the University of California-Berkeley, said it's "inappropriate to use occupational standards in a community setting" because they are designed for workers who are typically healthy adults trained to prevent chemical exposure with equipment such as respirators. ", In the same press conference, Adam Adams, the federal on-scene commander for the EPA, said that air monitoring results, "have been consistent - no detections [of benzene].". American Cancer Society medical information is copyrightedmaterial. All three tests urine, blood, and breath must be performed shortly after exposure, or else benzene levels may not be accurately indicated by the tests. Texas' health agency similarly concluded that although benzene is a carcinogen, exposure during the incident "is not expected to increase people's risk of cancer. A few hours later, around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, two people working on cleanup operations at the ITC plant became ill and went home. The Tribune's analysis shows that benzene levels continued to spike close to, but not surpassing, 1,000 parts per billion for the rest of that Sunday morning in residential areas of Deer Park. What all this means to you as a sunscreen user: If the sunscreen you have is on this list or was one of the recalled Johnson & Johnson products, Dr. Chadha recommends that you throw it out immediately and switch to a sunscreen that's not on the list to get your UVA and UVB protection. Meeting with a lawyer can help you understand your options and how to best protect your rights. She then watched as the smoke plume settled above the mourning family during the funeral service. Meanwhile, residents, news reports and meteorologists anxiously tracked the black smoke plume that snaked over the Houston area. ", At a March 26 press conference - nine days after the fire started - an EPA official said the agency would "get it out to the community to take action" if it detected benzene levels above that level. Out of 260 samples from 168 brands sold on Amazon, at pharmacies and at box stores such as Target, 44, or about 17%, had detectable levels of benzene. Exposure to benzene and risk of breast cancer among shoe factory workers in Italy. Benzene evaporates into the air very quickly. 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. The American Cancer Society is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. ", "They are striking concentrations of benzene," Shonkoff 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. Fire flared up again briefly in one of the tanks, which were melting from the heat. (The bone marrow is where new blood cells are made.) The city of Deer Park and ITC contracted with a company called CTEH to conduct hand-held air monitoring. Shell Oil Company built the first refinery in the area in 1928, and since then, generations of Deer Park residents have crossed state Highway 225 to work in the petrochemical industry. Search, Browse Law Castiel, Ochoa's now 8-year-old son, struggles with sinus infections. Q: Is benzene in drugs a new problem? 1987;52:3446034578. Now, Contreras is alert to strange odors in the air and watches for anything unusual at the nearby chemical plants - especially smoke. "We are monitoring the air continuously, and there's nothing that's even come close to registering any kind of action item.". 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. Benzene is a colourless liquid with a characteristic odour and is primarily used in the production of polystyrene. In 2020, FDA identified the potential for unacceptable levels of benzene in certain carbomers (which may be used as thickening agents in drugs) based on the allowable limits in USP monographs. Accessed at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsDetails.aspx?faqid=38&toxid=14 on January 25, 2023. Certainly, over-exposure to benzene in any setting might generate a legal claim against the institution or person that caused the exposure. Deer Park resident Eddie Guevara, 19, was working a Sunday shift at a chemical plant in La Porte, a town just east of Deer Park, the day the ITC fire broke out. TCEQ inspectors recorded three benzene spikes on handheld air monitoring devices above 1,000 parts per billion on East Boulevard the morning of March 31. He was checking the windsocks mounted around the plant and jotting down the direction of the wind to help the plant workers plan the best evacuation route - just in case. Because it is volatile, it can spread to a distant source of ignition. Benzene belongs to a class of chemicals called volatile organic compounds, so called because they evaporate in the air. 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. A: The health consequences of benzene exposure depend on the amount, route, and length of time of exposure, as well as age and preexisting medical conditions. Benzene is a colorless or light-yellow liquid chemical at room temperature. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Occupational exposure to benzene. A: Benzene is a chemical used in the production of a wide range of industrial products, including chemicals, dyes, detergents, and some plastics. (A substance that causes cancer or helps cancer grow is called acarcinogen.) A: Certain hand sanitizers and aerosol (spray) drugs, including antiperspirants and sunscreens, have been recalled due to benzene contamination. The site is secure. Can a new law help? Together, were making a difference and you can, too. ", High levels of benzene detected for two weeks after the ITC fire. As officials declared victory, Mario Ochoa's mother could hardly breathe. The lawsuit also asks that the company pay for residents' future doctor visits and tests for cancer. Guevara, who has worked in industrial plants since he was a teenager, called his dad and his brother, Anthony, to warn his family of the smoke approaching their orange brick, two-story house located just four miles from ITC. Benzene and leukemia: An epidemiological risk assessment. Available Every Minute of Every Day. "It was scary.". "Benzene is linked to blood cancers such as leukemia and other cancers and conditions like [acute lymphoblastic leukemia], [chronic myelogenous leukemia], Non Hodgkins lymphoma, and aplastic anemia," adds Dr. Chadha. "It's horrifying, scary. Drug manufacturers are required to ensure the safety and quality of their drugs. A few days into the crisis, officials from the EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Deer Park had to make a crucial decision: How much benzene in the air is too much for people to breathe? The contamination has been most frequently detected in aerosol or spray products, some at levels the Food and Drug Administration characterized as life-threatening. ", "There are random times when we have smells," said Mouton, who declined repeated requests for an interview. In extreme cases, inhaling or swallowing very high levels of benzene can be deadly. 2003. If you think you may have been exposed to benzene over a long period of time, talk to a doctor. If you've experienced these symptoms following exposure to benzene in any of the above-listed contexts, contact your doctor or go directly to a medical facility for testing. In a statement, the FDA wrote it continues to monitor the issue and work with companies to recall contaminated products. Locals say they love their community - where block after block of single-family homes are surrounded by lush yards - because it's quiet, safe and has great schools. They could smell the chemicals in the air. The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team. Benzene is a hydrocarbon, which means it is an organic compound resulting solely from the elements carbon and hydrogen. Become a volunteer, make a tax-deductible donation, or participate in a fundraising event to help us save lives. IARC also notes that benzene exposure has been linked with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It's highly toxic to humans, which means it can harm you if you swallow it, touch it, or breathe it in. "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. "It seemed like [the EPA] was going out and doing this monitoring between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and it wasn't clear what their intention or purpose was," Craft said. Drug manufacturers with a risk for benzene contamination should test their drugs accordingly and should not release any drug product batch that contains benzene above 2 ppm, consistent with the recommendations described in ICH Q3C. If any drug product batches with benzene above 2 ppm are already in distribution, the manufacturer should contact FDA to discuss the voluntary initiation of a recall by contacting the appropriate Division of Pharmaceutical Quality Operations in the Office of Regulatory Affairs. Castiel kept waking Ochoa up with "horrible and terrifying" snoring. They reopened state Highway 225, which borders the cluster of petrochemical plants and is residents' main route to drive into Houston for work. ANSI Z37.4, Acceptable Concentrations of Benzene. And because I'm a single dad with a kid, I gotta find a different way.". Long-term . 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. In the Wynfield Estates neighborhood, where many of the homes are two-story red brick and shaded by big oak trees, Anthony Guevara, Eddie's 14-year-old brother, didn't go to school that Monday because his eyes were burning and his throat stung. One of TCEQ's stationary air monitors near Spencerview Athletic Complex, about four miles south of San Jacinto Elementary School, was recording an average hourly concentration of about 40 parts per billion at 9 a.m. - about eight times higher than the highest concentrations usually recorded at that location. The CDC did not recommend further health monitoring in the community. Twice, city officials advised residents of Deer Park, the city closest to the fire, to shelter indoors. However, when a class one solvent (such as benzene) is "unavoidable in order to produce a drug product," it should be limited to concentrations of 2 parts per million (ppm). Molecular Weight 78.11. In 2020, the city created its own benzene guidelines that are far lower than what was used during the ITC incident: The guidelines say officials should consider a shelter-in-place advisory if benzene levels exceed 72 parts per billion over one hour and evacuations if the level hits 200 parts per billion for an hour. Instead, they spend more time indoors playing video games. A group of massive tanks, some containing millions of gallons of highly flammable chemicals used to make plastic and gasoline, had caught fire at a chemical storage facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company, a Texas-based company owned by Japanese conglomerate Mitsui Group. The Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSAT) rules reduce hazardous air pollutants, also known as air toxics, emitted by cars and trucks. Johnson & Johnson, which recalled sunscreens in July, said daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences.. keys to navigate, use enter to select, Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. In 2021, TCEQ approved a rule that allows the agency to consider major explosions or fires when it decides whether to issue permits to a company - a change that agency staff pushed because of the ITC fire. The agency has also alerted drug manufacturers to the risk of benzene contamination in certain drugs. Harris County produced an analysis of what went wrong during the response. Some states may have lower limits. Despite the large monitoring effort primarily led by the feds and the state, the results were "limited," often delayed, and not always immediately provided to local officials, according to a Harris County report. Extrapolated across the state as a whole, the benzene leakage from gas appliances is the equivalent of adding 60,000 passenger cars to the roadventing their exhaust directly into your kitchen. "I would definitely say that [people nearby] have an increased risk," said Zhang. Areas with heavy traffic, gas stations, and areas near industrial sources may also have higher air levels. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, benzene is classed as a hydrocarbon. At FindLaw.com, we pride ourselves on being the number one source of free legal information and resources on the web. The NIOSH sets benzene's recommended occupational exposure limit at .1 parts per million (ppm), which makes Valisure's findings of 2 ppm or higher in some sunscreens, from Neutrogena, Sun Bum, and . The high readings along the highway likely wouldn't have prompted a response, he said, because the benzene levels quickly dropped again. The American Cancer Society looks to these organizations to evaluate the risks based on the available evidence. On the heels of the report, Johnson & Johnson is recalling five of its sunscreens. In May 2021, an independent laboratory called on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a recall after detecting benzene, a known human carcinogen, in 78 batches of sunscreen and after . We are going through that process with each of these citizen petitions. ", Fire rages as residents fall ill - March 17-19, 2019. Benzene is a component of products derived from coal and petroleum and is found in gasoline and other fuels. What is benzene, exactly? A final report is expected this year. 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 . Advocates took aim at the Food and Drug Administration for failing to do more to protect the public. 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. By FindLaw Staff | There is much less evidence linking benzene to any other type of cancer. Hand sanitizers. The EPA limits concentrations of benzene in drinking water to 5 ppb (parts per billion). For additional questions, contact CDER-benzene@fda.hhs.gov. Paxton's office sued the company in 2019, but the case hasn't moved forward since 2021, according to Travis County District Court records. It's also found in all fossil fuels, and anytime you burn anything from a wood-burning fire to a candle you are exposed to benzene.". Benzene is a component of products derived from coal and petroleum and is found in gasoline and other fuels. Application holders notified of benzene results from the manufacturer of an API used in their product are required to submit FARs. Benzene really shouldnt be there at all, he said. Benzene is used in the manufacture of plastics, detergents, pesticides, and other chemicals. That Sunday morning, it drove through an invisible cloud of benzene - logging a reading above 1,000 parts per billion near San Jacinto Elementary School. Valisure tested nearly 300 sunscreens or after-sun products and found detectable levels in 77, or about 27%, of samples. Q: What is benzene? IARC classifies benzene as carcinogenic to humans, based on sufficient evidence that it causes acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Rodney Reed, an assistant chief at the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office who worked in the county's emergency operations center at the time, said when officials spotted spikes in benzene emissions, they called Unified Command, "and they'd [say] they had a break of the foam blanket.". ", "Benzene is associated with cancer usually after long durations (decades) of exposure," DSHS spokesperson Lara Anton said in a statement. In general, if you suspect that you may have been overexposed, you should act quickly to ensure an accurate reading. The operation turned to tamping down benzene emissions and emptying the chemicals from the ruptured tanks. The federal, state and local officials who formed a "Unified Command" near the ITC facility after the fire erupted had to choose a threshold on the spot because there's no accepted national standard for how much benzene in the air should be considered dangerous. Consistent with the recommendations of the ICH Q3 guidance, manufacturers should not use benzene in the manufacture of drugs. It has a sweet odor and is highly flammable. Some residents still blame the incident for lingering health problems. "I'd be out here looking at the fire and start to feel my heart going crazy," he said. With exposures from less than five years to more than 30 years, individuals have developed, and died from, leukemia. Exposures to benzene are addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry, maritime, and construction. The FDAs system really lacks independent review because it relies on companies to self report, Light said. "Anytime you see any kind of black smoke out there, it's not good," he said. Stay away from cigarette smoke. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and death. ", "It's concerning that would be the case for an emergency situation," she said, adding that "you will see people hurt and harmed if it's your only number for taking action. This voluntary recall is being conducted out of an abundance of caution.. "My soul remembers.