You may know what benzene is and that it’s linked to various types of leukemia and other fatal illnesses. But what does it mean to get benzene poisoning? Benzene poisoning typically happens when benzene is inhaled. Your skin can also be exposed to benzene, but the chemical doesn’t easily absorb into the skin.

When you inhale benzene it targets the blood-forming tissues of the body. Benzene is so powerful that it is able to effectively damage the bone marrow where the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets form in the body.  Since these three components are essential in the makeup of the blood, a shortage of them can result in several blood disorders and diseases.

Diseases Caused by Benzene Poisoning

Research has shown that benzene poisoning can cause anemia, leucopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Though, among all the diseases caused by benzene poisoning, leukemia is among the most serious. Exposure to benzene can causeacute leukemia, which develops rapidly, as well as chronic leukemia, which progresses at a slower pace.

Acute benzene poisoning is what someone experiences when they are exposed to a high level of benzene during a short period of time. This type of exposure is most common in enclosed spaces like a tank or vessel that is coated with benzene residues. Acute benzene poisoning can also happen from spills or equipment failure. Acute poisoning can negatively affect the central nervous system causing dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and incoherent speech. In more severe case acute benzene poisoning can be fatal.

Chronic benzene poisoning occurs when someone experience exposure to low levels of benzene over a long duration of time. If someone is treated for acute exposure and survives, he or she is at risk of developing chronic, lasting affects associated with their exposure to the toxic chemical. Some common symptoms of chronic benzene poisoning are tiredness, weight loss, and headaches.