Benzene Exposure: Understanding the Dangers, New Rules, and How We Can Help

Benzene is an essential chemical in the petroleum and refining industries, found in crude oil, gasoline, and byproducts of various industrial processes. However, it's also a known carcinogen, making it one of the most serious health and safety concerns for workers in the field and surrounding communities.

For organizations seeking to meet new compliance standards and protect their personnel, understanding the dangers and regulatory shifts around benzene is essential.​ Let's break down its dangers, highlight critical regulatory updates, and show how ZymeFlow helps you stay safe, compliant, and efficient during turnarounds and maintenance events.

The Dangers of Benzene Exposure

Benzene exposure commonly occurs through inhalation of vapors, skin contact with contaminated materials, or inadvertent ingestion. Prolonged or high-level exposure can cause both acute and long-term health issues, including:

• Short-term effects: Drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, and eye or skin irritation
• Long-term risks:  Bone marrow suppression, blood disorders, and increased risk of leukemia and other cancers.

In refinery and petrochemical environments, benzene exposure can occur during:

• Equipment opening or manual cleaning
• Confined-space entries during turnarounds
• Maintenance work involving residual hydrocarbons
• Leak management or accidental spills

Protecting personnel requires adequate PPE, but also a strategic, plant-wide approach to removing benzene before the work begins.

New Rules and Regulatory Changes

Regulatory agencies like OSHA and the EPA have recently imposed stricter controls on benzene exposure:

• OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) remains at one ppm (parts per million) over an 8-hour shift, but increased scrutiny and enforcement have raised the stakes for compliance.
• Short-Term Exposure Limits (STELs) and action levels require proactive monitoring and documentation to avoid violations.
• EPA’s National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) now demand more rigorous emissions control during maintenance and turnarounds.

These changes are designed to drive safer refinery operations, which, in practical terms, means:

• Regular employee training
• Advanced detection equipment
• Robust reporting systems to remain compliant.
• Turnaround planning with proven decontamination steps that eliminate benzene, not just reduce it.
• Failure to comply may result in fines, shutdowns, or reputational damage.

How ZymeFlow Helps Mitigate Benzene Risks

ZymeFlow’s industrial decontamination solutions are engineered to safely, quickly, and effectively eliminate benzene, protecting teams during cleanings and turnarounds. Here’s how we help:

Proven Chemistries That Neutralize Benzene

ZymeFlow offers VOC-compliant, water-based chemistries that safely neutralize benzene and other hazardous residues, eliminating the need for manual entry. These solutions are:

• Biodegradable
• Wastewater-friendly
• Effective in a single cleaning cycle

Safer, Faster Turnarounds

Using proprietary methods like true Vapour-Phase^TM cleaning or liquid circulation, we provide deep, uniform decontamination without exposing crews to hazardous residues. This minimizes downtime and reduces the need for confined-space entry.

Real-World Results

ZymeFlow has supported countless refineries in achieving full decontamination, including benzene elimination, within hours rather than days. Each project successfully met the required zero benzene reading before equipment opening, allowing facilities to maintain safety standards and minimize downtime.

Your Partner in Safety and Compliance

With increasing pressure to reduce exposure risks and meet new compliance standards, you can no longer afford to treat benzene as a secondary concern. ZymeFlow makes benzene mitigation a priority, supporting your team with safer, eco-friendly solutions, faster cleaning and turnaround timelines, and full-service support from planning to execution.

Contact ZymeFlow today to schedule a consultation or learn more about our decontamination strategies to eliminate benzene exposure risks at your facility.