CONTRIBUTION: Understanding the impact of benzene on Houstonians
This article was contributed to The Signal by biology major Zaineb Imtiaz.
Benzene is a well-known chemical that we are surrounded by sometimes knowingly, but usually unknowingly. This compound is a natural part of gasoline, but it is also widely found in industrial processes. Therefore, benzene is both naturally occurring and man-made.
Research from Martyn T. Smith at the University of California, Berkeley (UC-Berkeley) stated that benzene is not only an important ingredient in making many commonly used items such as plastic and glue/adhesives, but it is also found in natural fire emissions. Furthermore, according to a report made by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), benzene is most commonly exposed to people who work with or around this chemical for long periods of time in a variety of industrial fields and people who smoke. Other ways people can be exposed to benzene include being exposed to fumes in the air, second-hand smoking, and gaseous emissions. Although, these exposures are less severe. According to research done by Smith from (UC-Berkely), it was observed that high exposure to benzene disrupted and seriously damaged blood cells in the body which led to many cases of leukemia. Benzene, to this day, remains one of the highest leukemia-causing factors. It was later found that leukemia was just one of several severe health concerns caused by benzene.
In addition to the industrial workers who work with benzene and the products that contain benzene, others are being indirectly exposed to this chemical. A report was made by the city of Houston’s Mayor’s Office of Environmental Programming, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Bureau of Air Quality Control, stating that the largest emissions of benzene were found in Texas city and Galveston County. Additionally, greatest exposures of benzene were mainly found in the Houston area and Harris County, specifically near the Houston ship channel. Furthermore, the report described how benzene emissions and exposure greatly affected Harris County. Harris County is one of the largest counties in Houston, which makes this a huge issue with thousands, if not millions of people being exposed to this dangerous chemical. In reports by Sophie Dulberg with the Texas Housers organization and Ammara Mohsin Mukhi with Understanding Houston organization, it was observed that most of the communities living near the ship channel being most affected by benzene-polluted air, consisted primarily of low-income, people of color, specifically Black and Hispanic residents.
To solve this issue, research is being conducted and plans are being formed to reduce these benzene emissions as much as possible. One small action we can take as a community, as mentioned in the NCI article, is to avoid smoking and to limit ourselves from going into areas with high amounts of benzene emissions. The article provided an informational link, provided at the end, to a page by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regarding ways to protect oneself if you are an individual working directly near the benzene-populated area, or have direct exposure to benzene on a regular basis. Furthermore, the report by the city of Houston Mayor’s Office of Environmental Programming also mentioned multiple measures that have been taken to reduce benzene emissions including, but not limited to, producing and utilizing vehicles that emit less polluted gaseous fumes. Additionally, the report stated multiple steps of action taken throughout the years to reduce benzene emissions of specific industrial companies that caused the most emissions. For example, everyone can try to reduce their vehicle gas emissions. This can be practiced through numerous ways such as carpooling, utilizing public transportation methods, riding your bike, or even by simply reducing the usage of vehicles. The World Health Organization and the United States Environmental Protection Agency are the top organizations targeting and working on reducing benzene emissions, as well as communicating major benzene concerns, among many other health and environmental issues around the world.
For more information, please watch the following, insightful video about benzene created by fellow students, who are second years in the Hawk Leadership Institute (HLI), here at UHCL.
