Originally Posted by conspiratemus1

Have to fact-check this.



Benzene is a serious occupational carcinogen and is particularly associated with aplastic anaemia (which typically ends in leukaemia.) Bad stuff. Eliminating benzene from ordinary consumer products that could come in contact with your skin or that could be inhaled would seem like a good idea. I don't know if Liquid Wrench formulation sold in Canada contains benzene -- I've never used it. My understanding is that there are benzene exposure lawsuits related to Liquid Wrench.



Benzene is used as a starting material for many many industrial compounds, and drugs. Including TNT. I wonder how many early organic chemists died of benzene poisoning, probably a lot. Many molecules in our bodies contain benzene rings synthesized from other simpler molecules.


Note that benzine (spelt with an i) is a term used in parts of Europe for gasoline or petrol.



Glyphosate (RoundUp) does not contain benzene. An ambulance-chasing law firm has a website BenzeneLawsuits.com. The firm is litigating glyphosate lawsuits as well, and this may have led to confusion.



Elmer's white glue for wood and paper does not contain benzene or any other poisonous substances. Children use it.. Many cements (like for making styrene plastic models) contain toluene, much loved in the past by adolescent glue-sniffers. Toluene is made from benzene but it is a different chemical. It has its own toxicity, the major one being liver injury and asphyxia when squirted into a plastic sandwich bag for deep inhalation.



WD-40 also does not contain benzene. It is labelled as poisonous on swallowing (due to petroleum distillates) but no warnings about skin contact or carcinogenicity are included on Canadian cans.



Bottom line. Yes, certainly, read labels. If you do find one that really does contain benzene, leave it on the shelf. But benzene is not found in consumer products that we use every day without thinking about it. (Except maybe Liquid Wrench.)



I never use organic solvents for cleaning my own bikes, mostly because I don't want to bother with ventilation and PPEs and the disposal issues. If you have to clean other people's bikes, that's different. A rag and elbow grease, sometimes with soapy water almost always suffice for me. The bits of steel dust and oil that build up on your derailer pulleys can be removed, if they accumulate enough that you think they are doing harm, with a small screwdriver in less time and with less mess than spraying or soaking with solvent. If you need solvents to clean anything, even a chain, you are using too much lube.