Benzene

ProMED-mail reports on the medical consequences of the benzene spill in China as it makes its way toward Russian border towns and more Chinese cities:

Benzene exposure increases the risk of leukemia. Toxic metabolites may also play a role in affecting bone marrow. Consequently, hematopoiesis is affected and aplastic anemia is very likely. Inhalation of benzene vapors has been linked to lung cancer.
Clinical signs associated with ingestion of benzene, short term exposure, include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, headache, drowsiness, symptoms of drunkenness, disorientation, visual disturbances, bluish skin color, lung congestion, lung damage, liver damage, paralysis, convulsions, and coma. However, long term ingestion of benzene has resulted in impotence and cancer.
Gastric lavage may be the best means of evacuating the gastric track in the event of benzene ingestion. However, the residences in the affected towns may not know when or if they have consumed benzene in the water.
Although there is a large risk of exposure, we know nothing about the actual dose that these people may be exposed to.