Why is benzene regulated?
Benzene is regulated because of the dangerous health effects that benzene poisoning is known to cause.The U.S. Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974 requiring the EPA to determine safe levels of chemicals in drinking water. Benzene’s level has been set to zero. The EPA calls these levels Maximum Contaminant Level Goals and the EPA set a standard called Maximum Contaminant Levels based on that. The maximum amount of benzene allowed in drinking water is set at 0.005 milligrams per liter. EPA has also required that spills or accidental releases of 10 pounds or more of benzene be reported. OSHA has set a permissible exposure limit of 1 part of benzene per million parts of air in the workplace during an 8-hour workday in a 40-hour workweek.
