• Products such as paint and paint thinner can expose a person to benzene.Tooga/Digital Vision/Getty Images
  
  Benzene is a chemical that is widely used in the manufacturing of plastics, resins, lubricants and gasoline. For most people, exposure to this chemical takes place through the inhalation of benzene that has been emitted by benzene-containing products. Long-term exposure to benzene can cause anemia and increases a person's risk of developing leukemia. Knowing what products contain benzene can help you to reduce your exposure to this toxic air pollutant.
  
  

Gasoline

• Benzene is a major component of gasoline. Most benzene emissions come from cars and trucks. People who live or work near major roads, or who spend a large amount of time in their vehicles, have higher exposure to benzene and a higher risk of developing cancer. To reduce hazardous air pollutants like benzene the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has passed a ruling requiring that, beginning in 2011, gasoline refiners must reduce the amount of benzene found in gasoline.
  
  

Cigarettes

• Cigarettes release between 50 and 150 micrograms of benzene per cigarette, and represent a significant source of benzene exposure. About half of the exposure to benzene in the United States comes from smoking or being exposed to cigarette smoke. While there are other chemicals present in cigarettes that are carcinogens in their own right, benzene is responsible for one-tenth to one-half of smoking-related deaths from leukemia.
  
  

Styrofoam

• Benzene is used in the manufacturing of styrene, which is used to make Styrofoam and other plastics. These plastics are often used in food containers, and can be a source of benzene exposure as chemicals from the containers can diffuse into the food they come into contact. Styrene and benzene have both been found in food kept at refrigeration temperatures in plastic containers.
  
  

Cumene

• Another benzene product is cumene. Cumene is used as a thinner for paints, lacquers and enamels. It is also used in the manufacture of many plastics, including resins used to make plastic bottles Products containing cumene and benzene include paint thinner, lacquer thinner, brush cleaner, paint stripper and spray paint.
  
  

Benzene in Soft Drinks

• Benzene can form in beverages that contain benzoate salts and vitamin C, and in 2005, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, reported that low levels of benzene had been found in a small number of soft drink samples. Following this report by the FDA, the soft drink manufacturers reformulated their products that had been identified as containing higher than normal levels of benzene. Since then, all commercial beverages sampled by the FDA have contained low levels of benzene that are not dangerous to consumers.