Question - What industrial solvent has historically been implicated as a cause for aplastic anemia?
Answer- The cited article notes “Benzene [also] impairs hematopoiesis, and industrial exposure to benzene figured prominently in the early literature on aplastic anemia. Benzene exposure is now a negligible risk factor, accounting for only a small fraction of cases of marrow failure in most countries. However, in China, a country characterized by rapid industrialization and slower regulation, benzene remains a workplace toxin. Dosage is critical; workers with less intense or less prolonged exposure to benzene appear to have milder cytopenias, and they recover after termination of the exposure. Marrow failure is a proximate effect, not a late consequence, of benzene exposure.” (Young NS. Aplastic anemia. 2018 NEJM 379:1643-1656)