Benzidine (CED0000017)

Benzidine belongs to the biphenyls and derivatives, a subclass of benzene and substituted derivatives within the organic compounds. This exogenous solid has the formula C12H12N2 and an average molecular weight of 184.24 g/mol. It is used in the production of dyes and as a component of a test for cyanide, and it also serves as an industrial degradant or impurity. The compound is released from 34 recorded sources, including drinking water, food preservation, and food contact materials. Other sources include household cleaning and consumer products such as bleaching agents, soap detergents, perfumes within detergents and soaps, cigar cigarettes, and tobacco pipes. It is also found in building and construction materials, specifically sunshades awnings or outside screens, as well as electrical and electronic equipment, including antennas, amplifiers, communication cables or conductors, auxiliary devices, and coils. Benzidine is released in polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene, though it has not been detected in polystyrene. Exposure occurs via touch, oral, and inhalation routes. Benzidine has been shown to bind hemoglobin, targeting hemoglobin subunit alpha (HBA1) and hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB). Other recorded protein targets include the estrogen receptor (ESR1), Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19), and Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9). N-acetylated benzidine metabolites are believed to form adducts with nucleic acids; carcinogenesis is initiated when they are activated by oxidation by cytochrome P-450, peroxidation by prostaglandin H synthetase, or O-esterification by N,O-acetyltransferase or O-acetyltransferase. Health effects associated with benzidine include cancer (PMC3521879) and liver cancer (PMC12249926).