Yes. Because of the dangerous health effects benzene exposure is known to cause, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now regulates benzene in the air and water, as well as emissions by industry. The EPA has passed laws to limit the use and release of benzene to keep levels as low as possible. Regulations set by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, in association with the EPA, limit workplace exposure to a maximum of one part benzene per million parts air (ppm), averaged over an eighthour workday.
Further, congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974 requiring the EPA to determine safe levels of chemicals in drinking water. Subsequently, benzene's level was set to zero.
