A large scale study in China found an increased risk of blood cancers in exposed workers. The study involved over 70,000 workers exposed to benzene. Painters, printers and workers involved in the manufacture of footwear, paint and various chemicals were investigated. The researchers found an increased incidence of leukaemia among these workers and also an increase in malignant lymphoma. “Employment in benzene-associated occupations in China is associated with a wide spectrum of myelogenous and lymphocytic malignant diseases and related disorders,” the paper concluded.

SN Yin and others. A cohort study of cancer among benzene-exposed workers in China: Overall results, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 29, issue 3, pages 227–235, March 1996.