Exposure may occur during the production of benzene or during the use of substances containing the chemical as an ingredient or contaminant. According to the EPA, half the U.S. population is exposed to benzene from industrial sources and virtually everyone in the country is exposed to benzene in gasoline. However, information on the levels of benzene in the atmosphere is limited. Ambient monitoring data indicate that levels of benzene range from 1 to 100 ppb. Additionally, benzene has been identified in drinking water and in subsurface water at concentrations up to 10 ppm.
Benzene occurs in fruits, fish, vegetables, nuts, dairy products, beverages, and eggs.
The decision to withdraw the rulemaking was based on CPSC findings that benzene is no longer used as an intentional ingredient in consumer products and that the contaminant levels remaining in certain consumer products are unlikely to result in significant consumer exposure to benzene vapor. This document indicates that benzene is a carcinogen and that the hazards posed by its use in high school laboratories may be greater than its potential usefulness. It is recommended that benzene not be used or stored in schools. EPA has listed benzene as a hazardous air and water pollutant and a constituent hazardous waste. EPA has assessed emission standards for ethylbenzene plants, benzene storage and fugitive emissions, and coke by-product plants.