by Vera Martinella
Accused benzene, one of the most widespread and dangerous pollutants, already listed as a certain carcinogen for humans
Every time gas stoves and stoves are lit, we expose ourselves to a risk of leukemia and other blood cancers. And the danger is, in many cases, even greater than that which can arise from second-hand smoke. Providing new evidence on a problem that is already documented, but little known to most people, is a new study published in the scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology
by researchers at Stanford University in California. According to new findings, a single hob turned on to maximum or an oven at 350 degrees Celsius (that’s about 180 degrees Celsius today) can raise household pollution levels of a known carcinogen, benzene, even in greater quantities than smoke passive (that involuntarily inhaled by people who live in contact with one or more smokers, which is the main pollutant of closed environments).
Unhealthy indoor air
Benzene, radon, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, mothballs, nitrogen dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, trichlorethylene and tetrachlorethylene are the nine “domestic” pollutants highly dangerous to health that the World Health Organization (WHO) has included in the top guidelines, dating back to 2011, to improve the quality of the air we breathe in closed environments. Benzene has been on the list of carcinogenic substances for humans for a long time and has also been indicated among the possible causes of leukemia: «Benzene is a chemical compound which at room temperature and atmospheric pressure appears in the form of a colorless volatile liquid highly flammable, with a characteristic odor – explains Rob Jackson, lead author of the new study -. It is produced by incomplete combustion of carbon-rich compounds: for example, it is produced naturally in volcanoes or forest fires, but also in cigarette tobacco or in any case at very high temperatures, such as those that reach gas stoves and stoves».
Possible strategies to reduce pollution
The surveys conducted by Californian researchers indicate that this substance can also migrate to other environments far from the kitchen and the concentration levels recorded, for example, in bedrooms in many cases exceed the health safety thresholds. So what to do? «One of the possible solutions is to opt for induction hobs or electric cookers – replies Jackson -; the other very important action is to have household appliances with good ventilation and change the air often in closed environments». Previous studies had already shown that children who live in houses with gas stoves or stoves, due to the polluting gases they give off, are much more likely to suffer from asthma or develop other respiratory diseases.
Benzene, a certain carcinogen
Benzene has been classified by the World Health Organization as a known carcinogen for humans (group 1 of the IARC classification). Until World War II, almost all benzene was a by-product of coke production in the steel industry. During the 1950s, the demand for benzene grew enormously due to the demands of the newborn plastics production factories, so it was also necessary to produce benzene from petroleum. Most of benzene is now produced by the petrochemical industries, and to a lesser extent by coal. “The inhalation of very large quantities of benzene can lead to death – clarifies Marco Vignetti, vice president of the Italian Association against leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma (Ail) -, while lower rates can generate drowsiness, dizziness, tachycardia, headache , tremors, confusion or loss of consciousness. The main effect of chronic exposure, on the other hand, is the damage to bone tissue and the decrease in bone marrow cells, which can cause a decrease in the rate of red blood cells and aplastic anemia or leukemia – concludes Vignetti, who is also president of Gimema (Italian group of adult hematological diseases) -. It can also lead to clots, blood clotting difficulties, and weakened immune systems. The causes of hematological tumors are often not known, but risk factors have been identified for some neoplasms, including some chemical agents present, for example, in insecticides (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), benzene and formaldehyde (acute myeloid leukemia). .
June 23, 2023 (change June 23, 2023 | 12:17)
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