USE OF BENZENE IN THE TREATMENT OF BURNS

Abstract

To the Editor:— The Journal, Nov. 17, 1959, page 1357, contains an official report of the Council on Drugs entitled Current Status of The Therapy of Burns. It is dismaying to discover that that report advocates the use of benzene in the treatment of burns. It is true that the word frugal modifies the recommendation, but the word frugal is not a quantitative term. Of all hydrocarbons in extensive use it is probable that benzene is the most toxic. At the present time the maximum allowable concentration for atmospheric contamination is 25 parts per million, as published in the A. M. A. Archives of Industrial Health ( 20 :266 [Sept.] 1959). This means that as little as 2.5 cc. of benzene, if evaporated, would provide the maximum allowable concentration level in 1,000 cu. ft. of space. One cubic centimeter of benzene entering the body through inhalation or skin absorption may be