Question map
Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution? 1. Automobile exhaust 2. Tobacco smoke 3. Wood burning 4. Using varnished wooden furniture 5. Using products made of polyurethane Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 1 (1, 2 and 3 only). Benzene is a highly volatile organic compound (VOC) primarily associated with the combustion of fossil fuels and organic matter.
- Automobile Exhaust: Benzene is a natural constituent of crude oil and gasoline. Incomplete combustion in vehicle engines is a primary outdoor source of benzene pollution.
- Tobacco Smoke: Cigarette smoke is a major source of indoor benzene exposure; it is released as a byproduct of tobacco combustion.
- Wood Burning: The residential burning of wood (fireplaces or stoves) releases benzene through the thermal decomposition of organic material.
While varnished furniture and polyurethane products may release other VOCs (like formaldehyde or isocyanates), they are not standard primary sources of benzene pollution in the context of general environmental exposure. Many modern varnishes are formulated to be benzene-free to reduce toxicity. Thus, while some older literature might include them, the most definitive and significant sources are captured in Option 1.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Science in Everyday Life' question. While standard books (Shankar/NCERT) link Benzene to exhaust and tobacco, they rarely list specific furniture materials. The key is recognizing Benzene as a fundamental Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) present in almost all petrochemical derivatives (plastics, varnishes) and combustion processes.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Do automobile exhaust emissions contain benzene and contribute to human exposure to benzene pollution?
- Statement 2: Does tobacco smoke contain benzene and contribute to human exposure to benzene pollution?
- Statement 3: Does wood burning (biomass or wood combustion) release benzene and contribute to human exposure to benzene pollution?
- Statement 4: Does using varnished wooden furniture lead to indoor benzene emissions and increased human exposure to benzene pollution?
- Statement 5: Are products made of polyurethane a source of benzene emissions and do they contribute to human exposure to benzene pollution?
- Explicitly lists automobile exhaust as a source of benzene exposure to people.
- Connects gasoline fumes and traffic-related sources to human benzene exposure.
- Identifies vehicle exhaust as a major environmental source of benzene.
- Links vehicle-related emissions and petrol evaporation to benzene presence in air.
- Advises limiting time near idling car engines because exhaust fumes contain benzene.
- Directly ties human exposure reduction actions to the presence of benzene in automobile exhaust.
States that ground-level ozone is formed when vehicle emissions containing nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (from vehicles, petroleum products, etc.) interact in sunlight — identifies vehicles as a source of VOCs.
A student can note that benzene is a common volatile organic compound associated with petroleum/fuel and thus investigate whether vehicle exhaust VOC profiles include benzene.
Quotes WHO framing exhaust fumes as potentially cancer-causing, implying presence of carcinogenic compounds in exhaust.
Knowing benzene is a known carcinogen, a student could test whether benzene is one of the carcinogenic compounds emitted in vehicle exhaust or cited in WHO reports.
Links combustion of fossil fuels and increasing fuel use to marked increases in emission of toxic gases from vehicles and other sources.
A student could combine this with the fact that benzene is a combustion-related/tied-to-fuel compound to seek analytical measurements of benzene in exhaust from fossil-fuel combustion.
Discusses control of automobile exhaust and classifies gaseous pollutants as removable by combustion, absorption, adsorption — implying vehicles emit a range of gaseous pollutants.
A student could infer that among those gaseous pollutants are VOCs and then look up whether benzene is specifically targeted by such control technologies or monitoring.
Notes that vehicle emissions release various pollutants (CO, CO2, NOx, lead, heavy metals) and that increased vehicles have worsened urban air quality and health effects.
Using this pattern that vehicles emit multiple harmful compounds, a student could seek studies measuring specific species (like benzene) in urban air attributable to traffic.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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