In a statement to the Tribune, the EPA said that when benzene readings topped the 1,000 parts per billion threshold in neighborhoods for at least a minute, Unified Command directed air quality inspectors to the area to take more measurements and confirm whether the concentrations were expected to linger in the area. "[He was] gasping for air in his sleep.". Benzene. Benzene in soft drinks - Wikipedia Benzene is used in the manufacture of plastics, detergents, pesticides, and other chemicals. Benzene - Benzene - Sigma-Aldrich "I'm a single father, I had to work," Ochoa said. The American Cancer Society offers programs and services to help you during and after cancer treatment. If you have been injured, it's in your best interests to seek immediate medical treatment. But a draft shared with the Tribune shows that while it identifies 22 chemicals, including benzene, that could threaten residents' health, it does not set a specific threshold for issuing a shelter-in-place advisory. However, when a class one solvent (such as benzene) is "unavoidable in order to produce a drug product," it should be limited to concentrations of 2 parts per million (ppm). That Monday afternoon, the same day as the press conference, the bus recorded three benzene spikes well above 1,000 parts per billion across the street from the ITC facility between 4 and 4:30 p.m. On Tuesday, EPA and TCEQ officials held another press conference and said that they had "no notifications of air monitoring results" above 1,000 parts per billion. TheInternational Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)is part of the World Health Organization (WHO). (More on that, below.). "Based on our experience, the [1,000 parts per billion] action level for 1 minute for benzene across community areas was highly conservative," Sanchez-Soria said. FDA will advise on appropriate next steps such as notifying any entity that received contaminated API. Hand sanitizers. We couldnt do what we do without our volunteers and donors. Contact a qualified product liability attorney to make sure your rights are protected. . Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. Benzene. Drug Safety and Availability, Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts, Information about Nitrosamine Impurities in Medications, Food and Drug Administration Overdose Prevention Framework, Medication Errors Related to CDER-Regulated Drug Products, Postmarket Drug Safety Information for Patients and Providers, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies | REMS, Multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis and other infections, Frequently Asked Questions on Benzene Contamination in Drugs, FDA Recalls Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts, FDA updates on hand sanitizers consumers should not use, Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun, FDA alerts drug manufacturers to the risk of benzene contamination in certain drugs. The highest levels were found in Sure, Old Spice, Secret, Equate, Right Guard, Tag and Brut. "Or, they still don't. Accessed at https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp on January 25, 2023. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Still, the state renewed the chemical permit for ITC's Deer Park facility less than a year after the fire. Consistent with the recommendations of the ICH Q3 guidance, manufacturers should not use benzene in the manufacture of drugs. Leaving the cemetery, Contreras said she began to get headaches and feel nauseous as she drove to visit a friend in the Heights, a quiet Houston neighborhood known for its Victorian-style homes. At room temperature, benzene is a clear, colorless-to-light yellow liquid that is highly flammable. US Department of Health and Human Services. Benzene really shouldnt be there at all, he said. 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. 15.4: Spectral Characteristics of the Benzene Ring Meanwhile, an untold number of people were breathing benzene fumes without protection. Product name : Benzene Product Number : 319953 Brand : SIGALD Index-No. The site is secure. "Even if I didn't want to, I had to.". More than 800 students returned for classes at the elementary school the next morning. Then another tank collapsed. "I'm very proud to stand here as mayor and recognize all of the officials and volunteers who waited in line to take their turn to fight for our community," Mouton said. "There have been multiple reports of community members experiencing a range of symptoms from discomfort to difficulty breathing," an email message from the school district to parents said that morning. But what Ochoa and other residents weren't told by federal, state and local officials at the time was that long after the fire was extinguished and life seemed to go back to normal, an invisible danger remained. The International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Q3C Impurities: Residual Solvents guidance describes limited cases where the presence of benzene may be tolerated. In fact, you can get started today with aclaim evaluation. "I would definitely say that [people nearby] have an increased risk," said Zhang. FDA continues to monitor the quality of drugs and, when appropriate, encourages retailers to remove products from store shelves and online marketplaces when issues arise. What Is Benzene and How Toxic Is It? - Jill Carnahan, MD In a statement, the FDA wrote it continues to monitor the issue and work with companies to recall contaminated products. Those workplace standards, he added, were a compromise between now-outdated benzene science and the economic impact on businesses. Workers may be harmed from exposure to 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. That Sunday morning, it drove through an invisible cloud of benzene - logging a reading above 1,000 parts per billion near San Jacinto Elementary School. 356C(b) and FDAs associated regulations. Castiel kept waking Ochoa up with "horrible and terrifying" snoring. In a December statement, the agency said it was investigating the situation, doing its own testing and urged companies to recall contaminated products. It's notoriously challenging to determine whether cancer was caused by exposure to a specific chemical or pollutant. Fewer than 10 miles from where Guevara stood, firefighters rushed to the ITC facility and put their lives on the line in a war against the fire - fueled by 12.3 million gallons of highly flammable chemicals - that would burn for 64 hours straight. Q: What should manufacturers know about benzene in drugs? The city of Deer Park didn't respond to questions about whether it has changed its policies for responding to community benzene exposure. Anemia (a low red blood cell count), which can cause a person to feel weak and tired. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the description of the compounds in Aromatic 200 does not fit that of benzene, said Raynor, the University of Minnesota professor. Valisures hand sanitizer analysis found the highest levels of benzene in small brands that popped up as demand for the product spiked. Benzene levels are regulated in drinking water nationally and internationally, and in bottled water in the United States, but only informally in soft drinks. Q: What is benzene? As fire crews fought the last remnants of the fire, life in Deer Park returned to normal. "My soul remembers. Areas with heavy traffic, gas stations, and areas near industrial sources may also have higher air levels. The operation turned to tamping down benzene emissions and emptying the chemicals from the ruptured tanks. This alert has resulted in, among other things, several recent recalls of drugs containing unacceptable levels of benzene. 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. Jennah Durant, a spokesperson for the EPA, said both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - reviewed the action level "and had no objections.". For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, pleasecontact an attorney in your area. Contaminated well water, as a result of benzene leaks from underground storage tanks or hazardous waste sites containing benzene. Fire flared up again briefly in one of the tanks, which were melting from the heat. (For more information on the classification systems used by these agencies, see Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen andKnown and Probable Human Carcinogens.). Contreras, now 62, said the doctor who saw her said her symptoms were caused by "high exposure to chemicals." There are short-term and long-term exposure limits for benzene in the workplace, maximum acceptable benzene concentrations in drinking water, and exposure limits for benzene that include recommendations for specialized breathing equipment around higher levels of the compound. The American Cancer Society looks to these organizations to evaluate the risks based on the available evidence. Q: Should consumers continue using sunscreen? The fire prompted Deer Park officials to advise residents to shelter in place that Sunday. CDC | Facts About Benzene Four years after Ochoa, his 62-year-old mother, his son and countless others were sickened by the ITC fire, federal regulators are still investigating. 2015. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Deer Park resident Eddie Guevara, 19, was working a Sunday shift at a chemical plant in La Porte, a town just east of Deer Park, the day the ITC fire broke out. It has a sweet odor and is highly flammable. We continually gain additional knowledge about drugs which allows us to identify and quickly address previously unknown risks to consumers. It is harmful to the eyes, skin, airway, nervous system, and lungs. The TCEQ referred the ITC case to Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office typically handles major industrial accidents. Likewise, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets a limit of 5 ppb in bottled water. The .gov means its official.Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Because of the dangerousness of the substance, various state departments, including the EPA, DHHS, and OSHA,regulate the presence of benzenein a variety of contexts. Kids played kickball outside on the high school football field. This is personal.". All rights reserved. While benzene levels continued to spike near the ITC facility, neighboring chemical plants were warned to shelter in place Friday afternoon - the nearby community was not. FDA recommends consumers use broad spectrum sunscreens with SPF values of at least 15, which have been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging when used with other sun protection measures. The naming process for 2-chlorophenol (o-chlorophenol). "I was gasping for air.". One of TCEQ's stationary air monitors near Spencerview Athletic Complex, about four miles south of San Jacinto Elementary School, was recording an average hourly concentration of about 40 parts per billion at 9 a.m. - about eight times higher than the highest concentrations usually recorded at that location. It is only slightly soluble in water but readily soluble with most organic solvents. PDF Benzene - US EPA The lab, Valisure, last year detected benzene in hand sanitizers, sunscreens, deodorant, dry shampoos, conditioners, antiperspirants, deodorants, body sprays and anti-fungal treatments. In 2020, FDA identified the potential for unacceptable levels of benzene in certain carbomers (which may be used as thickening agents in drugs) based on the allowable limits in USP monographs. Since at least 2002, EPA and TCEQ inspectors had reported high emissions of benzene and other chemicals from that same area. People can be exposed to benzene from gasoline fumes, automobile exhaust, emissions from some factories, and wastewater from certain industries. Ochoa and Contreras are two of more than 300 Houston-area residents who are suing ITC, claiming they suffered severe health impacts, including headaches, coughing up blood, respiratory infections and emotional stress during the 2019 fire - which Ochoa is fighting to forget. 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. Benzene is a chemical that is a colorless or light yellow liquid at room temperature. Which sunscreens were found to contain benzene? People are exposed mainly by breathing in air containing benzene. "I was watching him and knowing, he doesn't even realize he's suffocating," he said. Benzene - Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration Benzene Factsheet | National Biomonitoring Program | CDC For short-term exposure to high levels of benzene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting away from the source of benzene, removing any clothing that may have benzene on it, washing exposed areas with soap and water, and getting medical care as soon as possible. They cant reliably show how much benzene youve been exposed to, nor can they predict possible health effects. A few days into the crisis, officials from the EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Deer Park had to make a crucial decision: How much benzene in the air is too much for people to breathe? Benzene levels in rooms containing tobacco smoke can be many times higher than normal. Stay away from cigarette smoke. 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. Because it is volatile, it can spread to a distant source of ignition. "With possible catastrophic consequences if we failed.". A: Benzene is a chemical used in the production of a wide range of industrial products, including chemicals, dyes, detergents, and some plastics. Benzene Factsheet. Ochoa quit his job as a pipe-fitter and found a job that doesn't expose him to chemicals. The EPA limits concentrations of benzene in drinking water to 5 ppb (parts per billion). As officials declared victory, Mario Ochoa's mother could hardly breathe. Pregnant women and persons concerned about using sunscreens on infants or children are encouraged to consult their health care professional. Benzene is a chemical found in nature and manufactured products. Researchers analyzed 15 studies and said workers routinely exposed to benzene on the job had a 40 percent higher risk of developing leukemia than people who didn't work around the chemical. Manufacturers of nonapplication products, including over-the-counter monograph drug products, should contact FDA using the information in the table below when testing reveals benzene in a product. Global benzene prices 2022 | Statista Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C 6 H 6. This information will help inform further updates to FDAs approach to limiting benzene levels in drug products, as appropriate. "It was a very challenging, very dangerous situation," Royall, who is now retired, recalled.

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