Benzene Poisoning
June,
2010 - Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Cleanup
Dubbed
the
new “Gulf War” syndrome, deep oil well Horizon is vomiting out
thousands of
barrels of crude oil daily into the Gulf of Mexico, and with it an
ever-growing
list of health risks including benzene poisoning from the high levels of
Benzene and Corexit being used as an oil dispersant in the massive oil
spill cleanup. (see Benzene Description
at bottom of page) As more and more complaints of nausea, vomiting,
dizziness
are being reported many are looking for lawyers and attorneys. Another
group are anxiously asking and searching for some remedy that
can prevent or help to minimize the effects of possible Benzene
poisoning exposure. The
short answer is activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is well known to
neutralize benzene and
has been used in gas masks for that purpose for decades. But, what is
not
widely known is that activated charcoal when taken internally is also a
well-documented antidote for benzene poisoning, and is recommended by
the
Poison Control Centers and CDC.
The
Center for Disease Control (CDC) for Benzene poisoning recommends:
“If
the patient is alert, administer a slurry of activated charcoal if not done
previously (at 1 gm/kg, usual adult dose 60-90 g, child dose 25-50 g). A soda
can and straw may be of assistance when offering charcoal to a child. When
small amounts of benzene have been ingested, activated charcoal may be
administered orally without emptying the gut.”
Activated Charcoal or Lawyers?
The following true story, with a
little modification, could fit a war scenario. Below is the
remarkable story of an industrial worker who was exposed to extremely dangerous
levels of benzene but suffered none of the poisonous side effects mentioned
above. The
original letter was addressed to Enos Yoder:
“I
am a certified pipe welder who lives in Columbus, Ohio. In 1994, 1 was working
in a refinery in Lima, Ohio. I was working second shift, from six p.m. to six
a.m., seven days a week. On the night of October 14, while I was on my way to
work, the news report said rain was expected after midnight.
About
1 a.m. a fine mist of rain started to fall. About fifteen minutes later a
safety man at the refinery came running up. He told the eighteen men in my crew
to report to the designated safe tent and wait for further instructions.
At five a.m., while we were still
sitting in the tent, a bus pulled up. The supervisors came in and said that we
were all going to the hospital for blood tests. The tests would be sent to the
company and paid for in full by the contractor. What we thought was rain, was
actually benzene spraying out of a tower 175 feet in the air. A half mile away,
a refinery employee had accidentally turned the wrong valve and exposed us to
one of the most carcinogenic substances in the United States. Benzene affects
the eyesight, nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
When
we arrived at the hospital we were all given blood tests. These tests revealed
that all eighteen of us had dangerous levels of benzene in our blood systems.
The doctors at the hospital explained that it would take up to a year for the
benzene to leave our systems, and the damage it would do would vary from
blindness to liver cancer to kidney failure, and highly possible to death.
There was no known treatment to remove the benzene from the blood.
That
morning there were eighteen very scared men, who had come from all over the
United Stated to earn a living for their families. Their lives were now being
given an expiration date of five to seven years. The next day we were all laid
off. The company said they were sorry for what had happened and wished us the
best of luck.
Because
of my fulfilling relationship with Christ, that day I prayed. Immediately, the
name of a man I had visited a year earlier came to my mind. When I got home I
called Enos. He said to just come on up. I did, and he gave me a bag of Charcoal Capsules. He said to take three capsules, three times daily, and not
to skip any capsules.
After
taking the charcoal capsules, I made an appointment with my family doctor. I
told him about the benzene and asked for another blood test. When the test came
back a week later, it showed that I had no benzene in my system. The doctor
said that my case had caused him to spend a lot of time reading about benzene
and, according to all he had read, there was no way the body could rid itself
of benzene in less than twelve months. He said that the lab knew this also, and
they would give me another test for free. Those results also came back, NO
BENZENE in my body!!!
About
six months later, the contractor refused to pay for any testing done to me.
This led to a court action because federal law, workman’s compensation, and
O.C.C.A. regulations said the contractor was fully responsible. Approximately
three years later I went to court.
Upon
arriving, I met a man who was scheduled to appear in court at the same time as
I was. After introductions, it turned out that he was with a law firm
representing seventeen men who had filed a class action suit due to benzene
poisoning in Lima, Ohio in 1994. The court did not know that I was not part of that
lawsuit, and had scheduled me at the same time in the same courtroom. The
attorney explained to me that two of his clients suffered from blindness, four
were on kidney dialysis, and all were being treated by a neurological
psychiatrist. The lawyer was amazed that my benzene level had been more than
twice that of any of his clients, yet I had no health problems whatsoever. He
said that it was nothing short of a miracle for me.
To that I first said, ‘Thank you
Jesus for watching over me,’ and second, ‘Thank you Enos Yoder for being there,
and caring the way you do.’”
CharcoalRemedies.com
The Complete Handbook of Medicinal Charcoal & Its Applications pp 131 – 133
NOTE:
Even though the dosage of 3 charcoal capsules taken three times a day
was obviously effective, the initial dosage should be more in line with
the recommendations of the Poison Control Centers and CDC mentioned
above. Remember, when it comes to poisoning you can take too little
charcoal to do any good, but it is hard to take too much. The FDA lists
activated charcoal as Category 1 "Safe and Effective" for poisoning. Be
sure to drink plenty of water with each dosage. We recommend to do as
much research as possible, be sure to read our FAQ page, and, if
available, you can check with the Poison Control Centers. Editor.
Activated Charcoal Face Masks
An obvious defense against breathing
potentially contaminated air is an Activated Carbon Cloth (ACC) mask. These
masks all but equal toxic gas adsorption rates that the large cumbersome
granular activated charcoal canister masks achieve. They are about as heavy as
the common dust masks sold in hardware stores except they have a layer of ACC
cloth sandwitched in the middle for lightning fast adsorption of hundreds of
different noxious odors or poisonous gases. They have a decent lifespan IF you
take the time to put them in a sealed jar when not in use. They can be hand washed
to remove any soiling and allowed to sun dry. NOTE: washing does not reactivate
the cloth or extend its lifespan.
Go to: Carbosorb C+ Face Mask
Benzene
Description
Benzene is an
organic chemical compound (aromatic hydrocarbon) with the molecular formula C6H6.
Benzene is a colorless and highly flammable liquid with a sweet smell and a
relatively high melting point. Benzene is an important industrial solvent and
precursor in the production of drugs, plastics, synthetic rubber, and dyes,
and, up until recent times, has been a common additive in gasoline. Benzene is
a natural constituent of crude oil. But Benzene is classified as a human
carcinogen.
While low-level
exposure to benzene may cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate,
headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness, eating or drinking foods
containing high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, irritation of the
stomach, dizziness, sleepiness, convulsions, and death.
Benzene
damages the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to
anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and depress the immune system,
increasing the chance of infection. Benzene causes leukemia and is associated
with other blood cancers and pre-cancers of the blood.
Benzene
targets the liver, kidney, lung, heart and the brain and can cause DNA strand
breaks, chromosomal damage etc. Benzene causes cancer in both animals and
humans. Benzene was first reported to induce cancer in humans in the 1920s.
Today, human exposure to benzene is a global health problem.
To find out more how
charcoal can used in cleansing and detox programs, order the book CharcoalRemedies.com now.
