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Benzene Contamination of Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent

Benzene is a human carcinogen that causes leukemia and other cancers at concentrations as low as 1 part per million (ppm).

Benzene occurs naturally in crude oil and is therefore found in mineral spirits in varying amounts depending on the quality of the distillation process. Benzene has been detected in the virgin mineral spirits that Safety-Kleen purchases at concentrations from "nil" up to several hundred parts per million.

Benzene is also introduced into recycled Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent by Safety-Kleen's automotive customers. For years benzene has been used as an antiknock agent additive in gasoline. When automotive shops clean carburetors and other automobile parts using Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent, benzene is introduced into the used solvent, which is then recycled and delivered anew to customers.

The concentration of benzene in Safety-Kleen 105 Solvent varied widely by vendor, load, recycling facility, year, etc. Indeed, Safety-Kleen found benzene in the virgin mineral spirits it purchased at levels of several hundred ppm and recorded a benzene concentration in the spent solvent as high as 1380 ppm. According to a memorandum dated February 12, 1990 prepared by James Breece, Vice President of Technical, the benzene content varied significantly throughout the Safety-Kleen system, but was generally in the range of 2 to 70 ppm as of this date. However, in the same memo, Mr. Breece wrote that "the highest concentrations were found in recycled solvent from the Reedley Recycle Center." It was this facility that recycled all the solvent used in California.

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