Benzene and Cancer

Cecilia Reyes A01194468

Paola Morales A01194327
Melissa Fernandez A01194234
Viviana Elizondo A01194227
Regina Rojas A01194360

What is cancer?
Cancer is a disease provoked by an irregular division of
abnormal cells in the body. This results in a malignant
tumor which is difficult to contain and terminate because
cancer cells can spread throughout the body easily.
Cancer is not just one disease and there are more than
100 different types.

The main categories of cancer are:

Carcinoma
Sacroma

Leukemia
Lymphoma and myeloma
Central nervous system cancers

Enviromental Factor:
Carcinogen: A substance that causes cancer or helps cancer grow.
Benzene:

Colorless, flammable liquid formed from natural processes such as volcanoes

and forest fires.

Benzene is in the 20 most used chemicals in the US and you can find it in
plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides as well as
crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke.

This is potentially dangerous, high levels of exposure can cause short and
long term health effects.

Asbestos: Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring minerals which are

long, thin fibrous crystals. They are commonly known by their colors.
Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000 (houses,
factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc.)
It causes around 5000 deaths every year.
In some cases, fibers from asbestos are released and inhaled by human
beings causing serious diseases
When a disease caused by asbestos
is diagnosed, it is too late to cure
since the effects are not immediate.
It can cause: Mesothelioma,
Asbestos-related Luna cancer,
Asbestosis, Pleural thickening

Cancer: Leukemia
Cancer caused by benzenes is mainly leukemia.
Leukemia is a cancer starting from blood forming
tissues (example: bone marrow)that causes a big
amount of abnormal blood cells that are
produced and enter the blood stream.
It can be treated with chemotherapy, yet a cure
has not been found.

How does benzene affect in

the cell cycle?
Benzene can induce cell apoptosis
S+G2/M phase accumulation
strengthen the effects of lipid peroxidation
DNA damage.

Bibliography
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<http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/dangerous.htm>.
"Benzene." American Cancer Society. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/i
ntheworkplace/benzene>.

"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S.

National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
"What Is Cancer?" National Cancer Institute. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/cancerlibrary/what-iscancer>.