Workers in various industries that make or use benzene may be at risk for being exposed to high levels of this carcinogenic chemical. Industries that involve the use of benzene include the rubber industry, oil refineries, chemical plants, shoe manufacturers, and gasoline related industries. In 1987, OSHA estimated that about 237,000 workers in the United States were potentially exposed to benzene, and it is not known if this number has substantially changed since then.

Water and soil contamination are important pathways of concern for transmission of benzene contact. In the U.S. alone there are approximately 100,000 different sites which have benzene soil or groundwater contamination. In 2005, the water supply to the city of Harbin in China with a population of almost nine million people, was cut off because of a major benzene exposure. Benzene leaked into the Songhua River, which supplies drinking water to the city, after an explosion at a China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) factory in the city of Jilin on 13 November.

In February, 2006, a former chemist at Cadbury Schweppes revealed that benzene may be created as part of a chemical reaction during production of soft drinks, particularly those having an orange flavor. Full scale investigations immediately started at the Food and Drug Administration (USA), Food Standards Agency (UK), and in Germany to reveal exactly which amounts of benzene, if any, were present, with several other organizations awaiting their findings. The key ingredients leading to the formation of benzene during production would according to his claims be ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sodium benzoate (E211). Of equal concern, the chemist told media the soda industry have known of this problem for 15 years, and supports himself with document copies explaining how benzene is a possible byproduct of these ingredients that exist in over a thousand soft drinks. More than extremely small trace amounts found after investigation would be of major concern, as benzene is a very aggressive carcinogen even in small amounts, and may among other things lead to leukemia.

[From Wikipedia]