U.S.
Department
of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
ToxFAQs
CAS# 118-74-1
September 1997
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HIGHLIGHTS: Exposure to hexachlorobenzene occurs primarily from eating low levels in contaminated food. The main health effect from eating highly contaminated food is a liver disease. Hexachlorobenzene has been found in at least 84 of the 1,430 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). |
What is hexachlorobenzene?
Hexachlorobenzene was widely used as a pesticide to protect the seeds of onions and sorghum, wheat, and other grains against fungus until 1965. It was also used to make fireworks, ammunition, and synthetic rubber. Currently, there are no commercial uses of hexachlorobenzene in the United States.
Hexachlorobenzene is a white crystalline solid that is not very soluble in water. It does not occur naturally in the environment. It is formed as a by-product while making other chemicals, in the waste streams of chloralkali and wood-preserving plants, and when burning municipal waste.
What happens to hexachlorobenzene it enters the environment?
How might I be exposed to hexachlorobenzene?
How can hexachlorobenzene affect my health?
A study of people in Turkey who ate bread accidentally contaminated with hexachlorobenzene showed that the young children of mothers who it ate it or young children who ate it themselves can have lower survival rates. Nursing infants can be exposed to hexachlorobenzene through breast milk if their mothers have been exposed. Unborn children may also be affected if their mother have been exposed.
The people in Turkey who ate the contaminated bread suffered from a liver disease called porphyria cutanea tarda. This disease can cause red-colored urine, skin sores, change in skin color, arthritis, and problems of the liver, nervous system, and stomach.
Studies in animals show that eating hexachlorobenzene for a long time can damage the liver, thyroid, nervous system, bones, kidneys, blood, and immune and endocrine systems. The immune system of rats that breathed hexachlorobenzene for a few weeks was harmed.
How likely is hexachlorobenzene to cause cancer?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that hexachlorobenzene may reasonably be expected to be a carcinogen.
Animals that ate hexachlorobenzene for months or years developed cancer of the liver, kidneys, and thyroid. There is no strong evidence that it causes cancer in people.
A factory worker who breathed air for several years that contained many chemicals, but mostly hexachlorobenzene, developed liver cancer. However, because the factory worker breathed other chemicals at the same time that could cause cancer, it is not known if the liver cancer was caused by hexachlorobenzene alone or by a mixture of chemicals.
Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to hexachlorobenzene?
Blood, fat, and tissue samples can be tested to show if you have ever been exposed to hexachlorobenzene. However, these tests cannot tell you when you were exposed or to how much, or whether health effects will occur. These tests aren't available at most doctors' offices, but can be done at special laboratories that have the right equipment.
Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?
The EPA has recommended that drinking water should not contain more than 0.05 milligrams of hexachlorobenzene per liter of water (0.05 mg/L) in water that children drink, and should not contain more than 0.2 mg/L in water that adults drink for longer periods (about 7 years). The EPA has set a maximum contaminant level of 0.001 mg/L in drinking water.
The EPA requires that spills or accidental releases into the environment of 10 pounds or more of hexachlorobenzene be reported to the EPA.
Glossary
Source of Information
This ToxFAQs information is taken from the 1996 Toxicological Profile for Hexachlorobenzene produced by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service in Atlanta, GA.
Animal testing is sometimes necessary to find out how toxic substances might harm people and how to treat people who have been exposed. Laws today protect the welfare of research animals and scientists must follow strict guidelines.
Where can I get more information?
ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental quality department if you have any more questions or concerns.For more information, contact:
U.S.
Department
of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry