When more foam was applied, he added, the benzene levels would drop. Deer Park officials appeared to rely more on air monitoring readings from its hired contractor than the EPA's. 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 . "We care a lot. FDA continues to monitor the quality of drugs and, when appropriate, encourages retailers to remove products from store shelves and online marketplaces when issues arise. Q: Why did FDA not immediately alert manufacturers to the potential of benzene in drugs if this was a concern brought to FDA in March 2021? Accessed at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/benzene.pdf on January 25, 2023. Benzene belongs to a class of chemicals called volatile organic compounds, so called because they evaporate in the air. Tax ID Number: 13-1788491. Benzene has a sweet aromatic odor. Manufacturers should generally not use benzene in the manufacture of drugs. Benzene drifted for miles through the community. ", "There are random times when we have smells," said Mouton, who declined repeated requests for an interview. It's known to cause cancer after repeated exposure and can irritate the throat and eyes. (A substance that causes cancer or helps cancer grow is called acarcinogen.) Residents didn't learn of the high benzene levels until a 10 a.m. press conference on Monday, when Adams, the federal on-scene coordinator for the EPA, said there was a benzene spike that weekend above the action level "in the community" - he didn't say where - and added that the agency notified local officials. Twice, city officials advised residents of Deer Park, the city closest to the fire, to shelter indoors. Benzene really shouldnt be there at all, he said. ", When a reporter asked Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton about the strong smells that continued to waft through the city almost a week after the fire was extinguished, the mayor said those smells were "normal. It is used mainly to make other chemicals, including plastics, resins, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. Molecular Weight 78.11. Help us end cancer as we know it,for everyone. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. But she added that it would be difficult to determine for sure. If you feel like there's been a lot of concerning sunscreen news lately, you're not imagining it. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene has been tied to thedevelopment of leukemiaand other cancers, as well as various menstrual issues in women and birth defects in their children. (For more information on the classification systems used by these agencies, see Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen andKnown and Probable Human Carcinogens.). "People need to be able to make their own decisions," Hopkins said. The city of Deer Park and ITC contracted with a company called CTEH to conduct hand-held air monitoring. Deodorant and antiperspirant recall: What the finding of the - CNN Then, Unified Command notified local authorities. Levels of benzene can be higher in enclosed spaces with unventilated fumes from gasoline, glues, solvents, paints, and art supplies. Yet throughout the area that day, residents from Deer Park and surrounding cities swarmed the pop-up county health clinics complaining of eye, ear, nose and throat irritation, severe headaches and trouble breathing. Ingredients that are hydrocarbons or are manufactured with benzene or other hydrocarbons may indicate a higher likelihood of benzene contamination. In general, if you suspect that you may have been overexposed, you should act quickly to ensure an accurate reading. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans - and engages with them - about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. "These concentrations are higher than we would normally consider protective," Richard Nickle, an environmental health scientist at the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said in an April 2019 email to Harris County officials. He smelled smoke and began to experience pounding headaches. What were seeing is a fundamental problem in the manufacturing of a lot of consumer products. To date, Valisure has tested 662 items and found the chemical in 180, or about 27%, of products. For example, the report said Harris County Pollution Control, which has a special team to respond to fires involving hazardous materials and other chemical incidents, had meager staffing and "antiquated" or out-of-service equipment during the 2019 fire. IARC classifies benzene as carcinogenic to humans, based on sufficient evidence that it causes acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Certain hand sanitizers and aerosol drug products have been recalled due to benzene contamination. The capability of superhalogen induced ionization of benzene molecules has been reported based on ab initio calculations. Its also important to follow recommended screening guidelines, which can help detect certain cancers early. C6-Zero says it did not use benzene before Marengo explosion Drug manufacturers should contact FDA using the information provided in FDAs alert if their testing reveals benzene in a product. FDA will advise on appropriate next steps such as notifying any entity that received contaminated API. Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Outreach Training Program (10- and 30-hour Cards), OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, Severe Storm and Flood Recovery Assistance. FDA has been in communication with USP about removing (or omitting) those carbomer monographs from their compendium since late 2020. The public was not warned the entire day. They said the fire was nothing to worry about because the wind was blowing the danger away, but employees could go home if they were personally concerned. By Monday - eight days after the . A: FDA has been working with companies to address benzene issues in drugs prior to March 2021, including through recalls. "We are monitoring the air continuously, and there's nothing that's even come close to registering any kind of action item.". "We were really trying to get to a place where we were being fair to the industry, but also transparent to the public about whether there was still harm.". Benzene is made from coal and petroleum sources and is present in gasoline. She could taste the smoke; she had the distinct sense that the smell would stick to her all-black attire and linger in her firmly pressed curly hair. Researchers try to determine if a substance causes cancer using 2 main types of studies: Often neither type of study provides conclusive evidence on its own, so researchers usually look at both human and lab-based studies when trying to figure out if something causes cancer. It wasn't the first sign of trouble: Around 11:30 p.m. the night before, a neighboring industrial facility near ITC reported "high benzene detections" and said one of its workers was vomiting and being sent to a hospital, Unified Command records show. Overview. "I'm very proud to stand here as mayor and recognize all of the officials and volunteers who waited in line to take their turn to fight for our community," Mouton said. Consumers should stop using products that have been recalled as well as those hand sanitizers FDA recommends consumers should not use, including hand sanitizers tested by FDA and found to contain unacceptable levels of benzene. CTEH is known as an industry-friendly environmental consulting firm and is frequently hired by companies during chemical emergencies. Their study, commissioned by the Houston Health Department, is awaiting peer review. 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. Workers may be harmed from exposure to benzene. People can be exposed to benzene from gasoline fumes, automobile exhaust, emissions from some factories, and wastewater from certain industries. Anemia (a low red blood cell count), which can cause a person to feel weak and tired. ITC's operational permit is up for renewal this year and some residents have raised safety concerns about the facility ahead of the permit renewal; a public hearing will be held in May. A: Certain hand sanitizers and aerosol (spray) drugs, including antiperspirants and sunscreens, have been recalled due to benzene contamination. Instead, they spend more time indoors playing video games. Since at least 2002, EPA and TCEQ inspectors had reported high emissions of benzene and other chemicals from that same area. An air quality report provided by CTEH shows that it did not not detect any concentrations of benzene above 1,000 parts per billion in Deer Park, Pasadena, Galena Park or Channelview on March 31, however, the report does not indicate at what time the readings were taken. Among the recalled hand sanitizer brands are Art Naturals, Best Brands and Natural Wunderz. He felt helpless. Available Every Minute of Every Day. Accessed at https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp on January 25, 2023. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Benzene. There is much less evidence linking benzene to any other type of cancer. Accessed at https://iris.epa.gov/ChemicalLanding/&substance_nmbr=276 on January 25, 2023. What is Benzene? - Uses, Structure & Formula - Study.com Cancer.org is provided courtesy of the Leo and Gloria Rosen family. By Monday - eight days after the disaster began - students returned to school, to gym class and sports activities. Contreras, now 62, said the doctor who saw her said her symptoms were caused by "high exposure to chemicals." Some local officials now say more should've been done to communicate with the public when air quality worsened - and they're working on changing their protocols. But, "of course they are going to downplay it.". The benzene continued wafting from the broken tanks: On Friday, March 29, the EPA's air monitoring bus again recorded benzene spikes above 1,000 parts per billion, this time across the ship channel in an industrial area near Channelview - about three miles northwest of the ITC facility. : 601-020-00-8 CAS-No. ANSI Z37.4, Acceptable Concentrations of Benzene. Some experts who study benzene said the spikes that wafted through Deer Park and the surrounding areas over that two and a half week period could increase residents' risk of cancer, but others said it was unlikely.