- 7. Mai 2023
- Posted by:
- Category: Allgemein
"I was watching him and knowing, he doesn't even realize he's suffocating," he said. The formation of benzene from benzoate can lead to an increase in benzene content over a drug's shelf-life' and should be considered when determining the appropriate timing for benzene testing . We note that certain United States Pharmacopeia National Formulary (USP-NF) carbomer monographs allow for levels of benzene of 100 ppm or greater. He said they needed the money. (A substance that causes cancer or helps cancer grow is called acarcinogen.) Contact a qualified product liability attorney to make sure your rights are protected. Some devices, including the EPA's air monitoring bus, were not deployed until days after the fire broke out. Benzene is not an ingredient intentionally used in sunscreens, but the products on Valisure's list were found to be contaminated with benzene."Benzene is a chemical that, when activated with exposure to the skin, blood, or organs, can affect changes in your DNA that cause mutations for cancers," says Madhuri Chadha, M.D., founder of Dr. Madh Skin Solutions and radiologist currently working in . When inhaled or swallowed, benzene has been found to cause different types of tumors in lab animals such as rats and mice. The agency has also alerted drug manufacturers to the risk of benzene contamination in certain drugs. "We are monitoring the air continuously, and there's nothing that's even come close to registering any kind of action item.". Texas has guidelines that define what level of exposure to various chemicals could affect people's health; for benzene, it's 180 parts per billion in an hour. The fire had been out for days when Ochoa, a 39-year-old pipe fitter at an industrial construction company, sat awake late into the night worrying about his son, who complained that his head hurt. At the American Cancer Society, we have a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. keys to navigate, use enter to select, Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. benzene (C6H6), simplest organic, aromatic hydrocarbon and parent compound of numerous important aromatic compounds. "Anytime you see any kind of black smoke out there, it's not good," he said. A 2010 analysis in the journal Environmental Health concluded that "exposure to benzene at work increases the risk of leukemia.". This is personal.". Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. Some studies have also suggested links tochildhood leukemia(particularly AML) as well asacute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL),chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and other blood-related cancers (such asmultiple myelomaandnon-Hodgkin lymphoma) in adults. FDA reminds manufacturers that changes in raw materials throughout the lifecycle of the drug, including changes in raw material suppliers, warrant additional scrutiny for the potential risk of benzene contamination. Weve invested more than $5 billion in cancer research since 1946, all to find more and better treatments, uncover factors that may cause cancer, and improve cancer patients quality of life. "People were telling me these horror stories from other refineries that were happening, people getting sick," Ochoa said. It is used primarily as a solvent in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, as a starting material and an intermediate in the synthesis of numerous chemicals, and in gasoline. Pharmaceutical Quality Resources, Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls Development and Readiness Pilot (CDRP) Program, Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) Regulations, Questions and Answers on Quality-Related Controlled Correspondence, FDA alerts drug manufacturers to the risk of benzene contamination in certain drugs, Q3C Impurities: Residual Solvents guidance, Division of Pharmaceutical Quality Operations in the Office of Regulatory Affairs, Field Alert Report Submission: Questions and Answers Guidance for Industry, appropriate ORA Division Recall Coordinators, Field Alert Reports are required for ANDAs and NDAs with such findings for distributed drug products (21 CFR 314.81(b)(1)). Copyright 2023, Thomson Reuters. Still, the state renewed the chemical permit for ITC's Deer Park facility less than a year after the fire. Tumori. Loren Hopkins, Chief Environmental Science Officer of Houston's health department, said she realized that when officials issue shelter-in-place advisories and nothing else, the message to the public is confusing: "It's all fine, up until all of the sudden it's terrible," she said. Here you'll find in-depth information on specific cancer types including risk factors, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment options. On the heels of the report, Johnson & Johnson is recalling five of its sunscreens. If benzene touches the skin, it can result in redness and blisters. 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. "The data needs to be available to the public with some kind of interpretation.". But the description of the compounds in Aromatic 200 does not fit that of benzene, said Raynor, the University of Minnesota professor. Benzene is made from coal and petroleum sources and is present in gasoline. 2003. The EPA bus typically only took measurements from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. "Oh my God," Zhang said after seeing the benzene readings the EPA gathered near Channelview on March 29. Q: Should consumers continue using sunscreen? She drove herself to an emergency room, not knowing yet that her son had gone to the hospital a day earlier for the same symptoms. 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 . Their study, commissioned by the Houston Health Department, is awaiting peer review. And now, Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling five of its Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreens some of which were mentioned in Valisure's report after their own internal testing found low levels of benzene in some samples of the products, according to a company press release. At room temperature, benzene is a colorless, or pale yellow, liquid with a . Meanwhile, an untold number of people were breathing benzene fumes without protection. These tests can only detect recent exposures to benzene. The formation of benzene from benzoate can lead to an increase in benzene content over a drugs shelf-life and should be considered when determining the appropriate timing for benzene testing, e.g., testing at release and on stability (21 CFR 211.165, 211.166), and establishment of an appropriate expiration date (21 CFR 211.137). The plus and minus signs shown in the diagram do not . (For more information on the classification systems used by these agencies, see Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen andKnown and Probable Human Carcinogens.). In general, if you suspect that you may have been overexposed, you should act quickly to ensure an accurate reading. On March 31, two weeks after the ITC fire erupted into flames, the EPA mobile lab was still driving around Deer Park, testing the air. "One of the things that I think the government tries hard to do is to be fair to everyone without being too quick to overly react," Garcia said. "Even if I didn't want to, I had to.". The highest benzene levels among the dry shampoos were found in a popular brand called Not Your Mother's, which touts its "clean, quality ingredients." Other brands found to have elevated . A group of mostly Houston-area scientists using the most recent science on benzene exposure said that officials should have used a much more conservative threshold - 27 parts per billion in two consecutive hourly readings - and issued seven more shelter-in-place orders and 17 air quality alerts after the fire broke out. 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. We couldnt do what we do without our volunteers and donors. CAS 71-43-2. Carcinogenic chemical benzene found in hundreds of US personal care Soon, the smoke blanketed their home. "It's horrifying, scary. Q: What should consumers know about drugs being recalled for benzene contamination? "ITC cares," she said, as her eyes filled with tears. Available Every Minute of Every Day. In a press release that day, the city assured the public that the air quality in Deer Park was not a concern. 1987;316:10441050. At the ITC tank farm, the fire was out, but a new danger emerged. For two months after the 2019 fire, an Environmental Protection Agency van traveled around a region east of Houston capturing thousands of measurements of benzene - a known human carcinogen that can cause headaches, nausea and other symptoms. Then, Unified Command notified local authorities. Is the FDA serving these companies or the public? Andrews asked. 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. Valisures hand sanitizer analysis found the highest levels of benzene in small brands that popped up as demand for the product spiked. 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. The American Cancer Society is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Benzene and Cancer Risk | American Cancer Society Benzene 71-43-2 Hazard Summary Benzene is found in the air from emissions from burning coal and oil, gasoline service stations, and motor vehicle exhaust. ITC said in a statement to the Tribune that there were "no longer-term public health impacts to the community" from the incident, pointing to an analysis by the Texas Department of State Health Services. This information will help inform further updates to FDAs approach to limiting benzene levels in drug products, as appropriate. | Last reviewed December 15, 2022. Firms, FindLaws team of legal writers and attorneys, Complaint For Loss Due To Product Defect and For Discovery, Industrial cleaning and degreasing formulations, Gasoline storage, shipment, and retail operations, The air around waste sites and gas service stations, Contaminated well water, as a result of benzene leaks from underground storage tanks or hazardous waste sites containing benzene. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, pleasecontact an attorney in your area. 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. People can also be exposed to benzene in contaminated drinking water and some foods (although the levels are usually very low). Benzene is a carcinogenic substance that is present in a great number of modern products and industries. 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. TheInternational Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)is part of the World Health Organization (WHO). What Is Benzene? Carcinogen Found in Some Sunscreens, Explained Federal regulations limit exposure to benzene in the workplace (see below). The map shows benzene levels along the van's route. The city of Deer Park didn't respond to questions about whether it has changed its policies for responding to community benzene exposure. "We feel safe at this time. The EPA warned in a press release that exposure could cause headaches and nausea, and then Harris County Public Health Executive Director Dr. Umair Shah encouraged residents to call the "Ask a Nurse" hotline if they experienced symptoms. The American Cancer Society looks to these organizations to evaluate the risks based on the available evidence. This can help lower your exposure to exhaust fumes, which contain benzene (as well as other potentially harmful chemicals). This process includes securing product samples and performing independent evaluation of collected samples to assess the data presented in the citizen petition. Though spray-on sunscreen was found to be contaminated most frequently, the chemical was also detected in lotions and gels. With exposures from less than five years to more than 30 years, individuals have developed, and died from, leukemia. What benzene is. 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. He advised her to drink lots of water and stay indoors. Those workplace standards, he added, were a compromise between now-outdated benzene science and the economic impact on businesses. Cancer Information, Answers, and Hope. The Carcinogen Benzene Was Found In These 78 Sunscreens - Shape Pregnant women and persons concerned about using sunscreens on infants or children are encouraged to consult their health care professional. It's known to cause cancer after repeated exposure and can irritate the throat and eyes. ", High levels of benzene detected for two weeks after the ITC fire. Q: What is FDA doing to protect consumers from drugs contaminated with benzene? Eating foods or drinking fluids contaminated with high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, stomach irritation, dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, and rapid heart rate. The TCEQ referred the ITC case to Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office typically handles major industrial accidents. Pump gas carefully and use gas stations with vapor recovery systems that capture the fumes. 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.. An analysis of air quality data from a TCEQ's stationary Deer Park monitor southwest of City Hall shows that benzene emissions had risen early that morning to 61 parts per billion in an hour. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walks, ACS Center for Diversity in Research Training, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), and Related Chemicals. The air monitoring "seems like a waste" if the public wasn't immediately told about the danger, said Craft, one of the authors of the study that concluded that more shelter-in-place advisories and air quality warnings should have been issued during the ITC disaster. 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. Shonkoff, the environmental health sciences researcher at UC Berkeley, called the levels of benzene recorded by the EPA's air monitoring that day "crazy" and "very high. Data from TCEQ's stationary and handheld monitors also indicated elevated benzene concentrations near the same times and locations as the EPA's mobile lab. The .gov means its official.Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. . They could smell the chemicals in the air. When possible, limit the time you spend near idling car engines. The naming process for 2-chlorophenol (o-chlorophenol). Which sunscreens were found to contain benzene? Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program. Breathing in high doses of benzene can affect the nervous system, which can lead to drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, tremors, confusion, and/or unconsciousness. Meanwhile, residents, news reports and meteorologists anxiously tracked the black smoke plume that snaked over the Houston area. It is formed through both natural processes and human activities, but importantly, a high level of exposure to benzene can be quite dangerous. OSHA limits exposure to benzene in the air in most workplaces to 1 ppm (part per million) during an average workday and a maximum of 5 ppm over any 15-minute period. It may appear colorless . 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. They decided they would issue public warnings only when benzene levels reached 1,000 parts per billion in the air over one minute - a level that scientists who study benzene now say was too high. But the risk of explosions and chemical fires always hangs over them. She has a grandson with respiratory issues and feels like it's her duty. Now, Contreras is alert to strange odors in the air and watches for anything unusual at the nearby chemical plants - especially smoke. 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.
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