Benzene Hazards

Jewelry Discussion
1

Does anyone know anything about benzene? Is it used in jewelry
making chemicals? I just heard that it is EVIL and greatly increases
your risk of cancer.

Any thoughts??
laura

2

Laura

Benzene is a carcinogen, but I am not aware of it being used in any
jewellry applications

Milt Fischbein
Calgary, Canada

3 
Does anyone know anything about benzene? Is it used in jewelry
making chemicals? I just heard that it is EVIL and greatly
increases your risk of cancer.

Nasty stuff, expensive to get, expensive to dispose of. Need a mask
and fume hood. Causes cancer quite readly. It can be used as a
solvent like tolene or acetone, and is only needed in very specific
situations (ie. you can use something much less volitile and get the
job done.

There are a few articals posted by Charles Lewton-Brain in the forum
on benzene uses in jewelry and how to avoid it.

Hope this helps.
Zoe Hardisty

4

Laura,

I keep Bensene locked up in my Hazmat locker, it is a nasty chemical
if mishandled. There is a class action type of lawsuit set of
attorneys out there.

Here is a good link to see what are the problems with Benzene:

http://www.physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/BE/benzene.html

Jerry

5 
Does anyone know anything about benzene? Is it used in jewelry
making chemicals? I just heard that it is EVIL and greatly
increases your risk of cancer.

Benzene is a volatile, flammable six carbon ring having alternating
double bonds. It can insert itself into the DNA helix by a process
known as intercolation. Being a good lipid solvent, it can be
absorbed through the skin and into living cells. Since it is
volatile, inhalation is also a route of exposure. It is associated to
an increased risk of leukemia.

There is small percentage of benzene in gasoline. (If memory serves
me, it may be as high as 5%…usually higher in winter than
summer…don’t trust my memory any more.) Due to the volatile nature
of benzene, I would not expect to find it in compounds commonly used
in the jewelry studio.

Funny thing about those organic molecules…small changes in
composition can make big changes in toxicity. For instance, toluene
and xylene are also both components of gasoline. They are composed of
a benzene ring with one and two cabons, respectively added outside
the ring. They are both considered considerably less toxic (not
non-toxic). I keep a small quantity of toluene in my studio to use as
a solvent for glues, paints, etc. It is quite flammable.

The following link provides maximum levels in drinking water. It is
a good indication of relative toxicity between many of benzene
related compounds:

http://tinyurl.com/pnoc4

Howard Woods
Also enjoying thoursands of crocus and awaiting the Forsythia blossoms in
Eagle Idaho

6

Gee, and I can remember when I was an art student 36 years ago, I
used to clean my brushes (and my hands) with benzene every day.
Oops!

Brian Corll
Vassar Gems

7

Hello Milt;

Benzene is a carcinogen, but I am not aware of it being used in
any jewellry applications

Some wax solvents, used to polish carved wax, contain benzene. I
don’t know if they are still being sold. Yes, it’s a carcinogen. I
use lighter fluid to polish waxes, which contains naptha. Naptha
might also be carcinogenic, but I doubt to the degree that benzene
is.

David L. Huffman

8

My brother was a lab tech at a company for some years, and I
remember he always stated that Benzene and Toluene are really
horrible chemicals as they destroy brain cells to the point that they
cant regenerate at all. Once they are burned, they stay burned.

Benzene is a Cancer hazard as well if I remember correctly. I know
what makers use it a lot, didnt really know of to many uses in
jewelry, but Im still learning every single day.

9

G’day;

Does anyone know anything about benzene? Is it used in jewelry
making chemicals? I just heard that it is EVIL and greatly
increases your risk of cancer.

You are right, and benzene is one of the most active carcinogens. The
liquid is very poisonous, very volatile and flammable and burns with
a very smoky, sooty flame. The vapour dissolves readily in the blood,
and is quickly transported to fats, where it can accumulate and give
rise to various kinds of cancers. No, it has no uses in jewellery, as
any possible uses are served better by other solvents. When burnt,
polystyrene and other styrenes can produce benzene.

Not nice stuff; keep away from it.

Cheers for now,
John Burgess; @John_Burgess2 of Mapua, Nelson NZ

10

Bezene is not particularly safe. It has been implicated as a
carcinogen and can be a general poison at certain concentrations and
in certain states. However, it has also been used a general cleaning
agent.

If you have questions about any chemical compounds, you can usually
find the MSD sheets online. You should get them when you buy the
compound but if you don’t you can try

which will give you suggestions on where to go to find the
you need. Take time to read the FAQ so you know what you
are looking at.

Belinda Brockman

11

I’ve been a professional jeweler for 35 years, and I know of no
purpose for benzene in a jewelry shop. I gather that some people use
toluene, zylenes, what have you for wax polishing. Whatever floats
your boat, but I use steel wool, and then dust it off - no, I have
zero problems with steel residue. To me, using such a profoundly
dangerous chemical as zylenes to do such a trivial task as polishing
wax is, well, I won’t say what it is. Using a shotgun for a
flyswatter? The main use for benzene in general is that it is a good
solvent for plastics - it will dissolve plastics that none of the
other familiar things will touch. But that’s not something most
jewelry people would ever have any use for…My chemical cabinet
is simple: Denatured alcohol, acetone, Paint thinner, methylene
chloride (Attack), Nitric, HCl, pickle,plus some stray things, Naval
Jelly and such, for occasional use. Glues, soaps. Unless one is doing
some certain specialty - etching comes to mind - there’s really not
much you can’t do with just those things.

12

Benzene is used as a solvent and a cleaning agent, and as far as I
know, is not necessary in the fabrication of jewelry. In any event,
it is a dangerous substance, highly flammable, and it should be used
only with proper ventilation, as the fumes could be hazardous to
your health.