Benzene is a known carcinogen with most benzene cancer deaths coming as a result of leukemia. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to benzene at just 4 parts per billion for a lifetime can result in one additional leukemia diagnosis per 10,000 people. That exposure can come from a variety of sources since benzene is found in rubber, cement, some glues and paint strippers. Benzene fumes are also found in everyday life in gasoline and cigarette smoke.

Benzene cancer such as leukemia can be dormant in a person's body for five to 15 years before there is a diagnosis. The person may experience aplastic anemia but this doesn't happen in all cases before the leukemia diagnosis. Benzene is being investigated as the possible cause of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Many of the people diagnosed with benzene cancers worked in manufacturing plants that used the substance including glue and paint plants.