Benzene is a chemical compound belonging to the group of aromatic hydrocarbons. It is an inhalation as well as a contact poison.
Benzene has a carcinogenic effect (cancer-causing). It is a component of gasoline, among other things.
Acute exposure to benzene may result in the following symptoms:
- Loss of consciousness
- Cephalgia (headache)
- Intoxication
- Mucous membrane irritations
- Vertigo (dizziness)
- Nausea (nausea / vomiting)
- Nephropathies (kidney damage)
- Oligomenorrhea – menstrual bleeding too infrequent (> 35 days and ≤ 90 days).
- Pancytopenia (synonym: tricytopenia) – a deficiency in all three cell series (tricytopenia) of hematopoiesis, that is, when there is leukocytopenia (decrease in white blood cells), anemia (anemia), and thrombocytopenia (decrease in platelets)
- Tachycardia – too fast pulse (> 100 beats/min).
The procedure
Material needed
- EDTA blood
- Spontaneous urine
Preparation of the patient
- Not necessary
Disruptive factors
- Not known
Standard values
| Normal value – blood | < 1.0 μg/l |
| Normal value – urine (metabolites) | <15 mg/l (BAT 300 mg/l; phenol) <0.5 mg/l (muconic acid) |
BAT value: biological agent tolerance value.
Indications
- Suspected benzene exposure
Interpretation
Interpretation of lowered values
- Not relevant to disease
Interpretation of elevated values
- Benzene exposure
