ABSTRACT
Benzene is the parent hydrocarbon of the aromatic group, the resonant cyclic compound consisting of only carbon and hydrogen. Acute benzene toxicity usually occurs following inhalation of concentrated benzene vapor, usually in poorly ventilated rooms. The clinical findings, the seventy of symptoms, and outcome of acute benzene toxicity depend on the amount of toxic vapor inhaled and the duration of the exposure. In human beings, the results of acute benzene toxicity are known from autopsies performed in such cases. All the organs including the brain, digestive system, pleura, lungs, pericardium, kidneys, bladder, and urether show evidences of hemorrhage. In 1959, Saita and Moreo have reported three cases of chronic benzene toxicity involving beta-thalassemic heterozygotes. The hematotoxicity and possible leukemogenicity of benzene was tested by inhalation in mice by Horigaya et al. Groups of mice were exposed either to normal air or air containing benzene of 4000 ppm for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 9 days or 11 consecutive days.
