🚀 go-pugleaf

Most of your questions would be answered by obtaining the Material Safety Data
Sheet (MSDS) for Benzene.  If you work with Benzene, your employer is required
by law to provide this for you.  I'm sure you can also find a listing by
searching
on the web.

mike

lisse@saintmail.net wrote:

> How toxic is Benzene?
>
> What type of harm can Benzene do to the human body?
>
> What part of the human body will Benzene causes most harm? Brain? Liver?
> Lungs? Kidneys?
>
> In what way Benzene damages human body via ingestion (eating), via inhaling
> Benzene fumes (breathing), and via skin contact (touching)?
>
> What will Benzene fumes do to people with asthma problem? Will it cause
> asthmatic attacks?
>
> Will Benzene harm children much more than adults, given the same amount of
> Benzene being introduced into the body?
>
> Can anyone here tells me where to find the information, and can anyone
> explain to me what level of "toxicity" Benzene really is?
>
> Is Benzene explosive as well?
>
> Please c.c. a copy of your reply to me at lisse@saintmail.net, because I do
> not usually subscribe to this newsgroup.
>
> Thanks !!
>
> Lisa

--
Michael D. Smith internet e-mail: mds@po.cwru.edu
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
See my website: http://home.cwru.edu/~mds/

In article <3859A287.D66638B1@po.cwru.edu>,
  mds@po.cwru.edu wrote:
> Most of your questions would be answered by obtaining the Material
> Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Benzene.  If you work with Benzene, your
> employer is required by law to provide this for you.  I'm sure you can
> also find a listing by searching on the web.

> mike


Thank you, Mike, for your response.

My concern of Benzene arrises from someone trying to construct a
gasoline pump station right next to a primary school. Since I know that
one of the ingredient of gasoline is Benzene, I think I may have to find
out more about Benzene (and all other chemicals that made up gasoline)
and present them to the school's PTA and all local interest groups.

I am not a chemical major, and even if I have a copy of MSDS for
Benzene, I wouldn't know how to intepret it. That is my problem.

The biggest problem I have so far is to elicit help from local people in
understanding the danger of a gasoline pump station right besides the
school, and any help I can get from anyone here will be very much
appreciated.

I do not understand the rationale of how the local authorities can
approve the construction of a gasoline pump station right next to a
school, that is what I am trying to find out, but in the meantime, if
there is anyone who have more info on Benzene, and other chemical
compounds that exists in gasoline, and able to explain to me, in plain
English, what the MSDS on Benzene and the other chemical compounds, is
all about, I am all ears.

Thanks for reading, and thanks again for anything you and/or others can
do to help.

Sincerely,
Lisa


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

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On Sat, 18 Dec 1999 01:53:07 GMT, Lisa <lisse@saintmail.net> wrote:
> 
> My concern of Benzene arrises from someone trying to construct a
> gasoline pump station right next to a primary school. Since I know that
> one of the ingredient of gasoline is Benzene, I think I may have to find
> out more about Benzene (and all other chemicals that made up gasoline)
> and present them to the school's PTA and all local interest groups.

gasoline (unleaded motor fuel) is quite a different animal than Benzene.
Benzene in its pure state is rather hazardous (as are many pure materials)

unleaded fuel is relativly safe. its nothing you'd want to ingest or be in
constant skin contact with, however, fuel dispensing equipment is designed to
minimize contact with the fuel, spillage, and in most states, vapors.

i'd be more worried about cleaning solvents *in* the school than a gas station.
 
- -- 
Shadow Dolphin <dolphin@dolphinparadise.net>
Fingerprint20 = D3D4 6AC7 EF97 B962 6BB4  B4AB D3DF 485D 597B C2C6
Key ID = 0x597BC2C6

"In a just cause, there are no failures; there are only delayed successes."
 - Isaac Asimov


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Hi Lisse,
According to the 1996 North American Emergency Response Guidebook,
( which we firemen use a a guide for hazardous material incidents):
Vapors are explosive when mixed with air.
Vapors are heavier than air and will sink into basements
and sewers.
It is lighter than water.
Containers may explode when heated.
Toxic effects when inhaled or absorbed through skin.
Fire will produce corrosive and/or toxic gases.

Responders to scene must wear self contained breathing apparatus.
Firefighter turn-outs will provide only limited protection.
Large spills - evacuate downwind at least 1000 feet.
Fire - isolate in all directions for 1/2 mile.
It can be extinguished with regular foam.

This is for Benzene (id #1114) but there are any
variants, such as sulfohydrazide, phosphorus dichloride, etc.
Your local fire dept. must know about this and should
be prepared for emergencies of this sort. You could ask
them about your concerns, they most likely will have
information on hand.

Hope this helped,
-Max

lisse@saintmail.net wrote:

> How toxic is Benzene?
>
> What type of harm can Benzene do to the human body?
>
> What part of the human body will Benzene causes most harm? Brain? Liver?
> Lungs? Kidneys?
>
> In what way Benzene damages human body via ingestion (eating), via inhaling
> Benzene fumes (breathing), and via skin contact (touching)?
>
> What will Benzene fumes do to people with asthma problem? Will it cause
> asthmatic attacks?
>
> Will Benzene harm children much more than adults, given the same amount of
> Benzene being introduced into the body?
>
> Can anyone here tells me where to find the information, and can anyone
> explain to me what level of "toxicity" Benzene really is?
>
> Is Benzene explosive as well?
>
> Please c.c. a copy of your reply to me at lisse@saintmail.net, because I do
> not usually subscribe to this newsgroup.
>
> Thanks !!
>
> Lisa

These are "acute" effects. Now there are "chronic" effects which can be
associated with cancer, among other diseases.

Hades

Max Wedge wrote:

> Hi Lisse,
> According to the 1996 North American Emergency Response Guidebook,
> ( which we firemen use a a guide for hazardous material incidents):
> Vapors are explosive when mixed with air.
> Vapors are heavier than air and will sink into basements
> and sewers.
> It is lighter than water.
> Containers may explode when heated.
> Toxic effects when inhaled or absorbed through skin.
> Fire will produce corrosive and/or toxic gases.
>
> Responders to scene must wear self contained breathing apparatus.
> Firefighter turn-outs will provide only limited protection.
> Large spills - evacuate downwind at least 1000 feet.
> Fire - isolate in all directions for 1/2 mile.
> It can be extinguished with regular foam.
>
> This is for Benzene (id #1114) but there are any
> variants, such as sulfohydrazide, phosphorus dichloride, etc.
> Your local fire dept. must know about this and should
> be prepared for emergencies of this sort. You could ask
> them about your concerns, they most likely will have
> information on hand.
>
> Hope this helped,
> -Max
>
> lisse@saintmail.net wrote:
>
> > How toxic is Benzene?
> >
> > What type of harm can Benzene do to the human body?
> >
> > What part of the human body will Benzene causes most harm? Brain? Liver?
> > Lungs? Kidneys?
> >
> > In what way Benzene damages human body via ingestion (eating), via inhaling
> > Benzene fumes (breathing), and via skin contact (touching)?
> >
> > What will Benzene fumes do to people with asthma problem? Will it cause
> > asthmatic attacks?
> >
> > Will Benzene harm children much more than adults, given the same amount of
> > Benzene being introduced into the body?
> >
> > Can anyone here tells me where to find the information, and can anyone
> > explain to me what level of "toxicity" Benzene really is?
> >
> > Is Benzene explosive as well?
> >
> > Please c.c. a copy of your reply to me at lisse@saintmail.net, because I do
> > not usually subscribe to this newsgroup.
> >
> > Thanks !!
> >
> > Lisa

"(Jean Wootton)" wrote:

> Questions for a firefighter.
> 1) firetrucks startup inside the station.  Do these stations have great
> ventilation systems to get rid of the fumes? (Hope so for those who spend time in
> and above that area).

I'm from a smaller rural area, and we don't have a great ventilation system.
80% of our trucks are diesel, and put out about 0.1% CO, as opposed to
the gas engines which emit 4% CO. Also we start them with the doors open.

>
> 2) other than the obvious, are there certain cancers associated more with
> firefighters than other occupations?

Unofficially, I'd have to say yes. These kind of things are monitored
by OSHA, and helps dictate safety standards and equipment.

>
> 3) fire department was called by the gas company to assist me last spring. (I
> didn't know the source myself until I was waiting for the fire department and had
> another look in the basement).  All they were concerned about was looking for
> methane gas when I kept trying to tell them that it was improperly vented gas
> water heater pipe causing upper respiratory distress.  Since they found no
> evidence of methane and refused to look at the pipe (we were outside), they
> insisted that I was having a heart attack.  Aren't firefighters aware of the
> dangers of improperly vented gas appliances?

Yes, most are, but there are protocols and SOP's that dictate how things
are handled in each city. Medical personel, FF's, utility companies, etc,
all work with each other in different ways in each community. It would
be impossible for me to comment on how things were handled in your
situation without being there. Keep in mind, that all civil services are having
to protect themselves more each day form the litigation happy society
we live in today.

This is sort of OT here, but thanks for the use of the soap box. This would
better be discussed in alt.firefighters.

Take care,
-Max

> (apparently doctors aren't either..I have yet to get a proper damage assessment
> and that awful situation went on for over 5 months)
> Regards
> Jean
> BTW thanks for putting your life on the line for us.
>
> Max Wedge wrote:
>
> > Hi Lisse,
> > According to the 1996 North American Emergency Response Guidebook,
> > ( which we firemen use a a guide for hazardous material incidents):

Thanks Max,
The firefighter part might be OT, but not the appliances...
Here's list of chemicals before and after-burn from such (of which benzene is one).
http://www.gascape.org/Chem%20Analysis.html
Thanks again
Jean

Max Wedge wrote:

> "(Jean Wootton)" wrote:
>
> > Questions for a firefighter.
> > >
> > 3) fire department was called by the gas company to assist me last spring. (I
> > didn't know the source myself until I was waiting for the fire department and had
> > another look in the basement).  All they were concerned about was looking for
> > methane gas when I kept trying to tell them that it was improperly vented gas
> > water heater pipe causing upper respiratory distress.  Since they found no
> > evidence of methane and refused to look at the pipe (we were outside), they
> > insisted that I was having a heart attack.  Aren't firefighters aware of the
> > dangers of improperly vented gas appliances?
>
> Yes, most are, but there are protocols and SOP's that dictate how things
> are handled in each city. Medical personel, FF's, utility companies, etc,
> all work with each other in different ways in each community. It would
> be impossible for me to comment on how things were handled in your
> situation without being there. Keep in mind, that all civil services are having
> to protect themselves more each day form the litigation happy society
> we live in today.
>
> This is sort of OT here, but thanks for the use of the soap box. This would
> better be discussed in alt.firefighters.
>
> Take care,
> -Max
>
> > (apparently doctors aren't either..I have yet to get a proper damage assessment
> > and that awful situation went on for over 5 months)
> > Regards
> > Jean
> > BTW thanks for putting your life on the line for us.
> >
> > Max Wedge wrote:
> >
> > > Hi Lisse,
> > > According to the 1996 North American Emergency Response Guidebook,
> > > ( which we firemen use a a guide for hazardous material incidents):