Shell Sponsored Benzene Study

Benzene is an organic chemical compound and known carcinogen. It is most commonly found in gasoline and crude oil, and is still one of the twenty most widely used chemicals in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

Today, we are looking at documents from Shell dated September 2009 which are response materials to the Shanghai Health Study. This study was designed to investigate the effects that benzene had on human health between 2001 and 2009, funded by Shell.

Shell distributed confidential documents that outlined how to respond to press questions about the Shanghai Health Study and Shell’s role in it.

They clearly stated their involvement in the study but emphasized the independent nature of the research.

When asked what they might do if the results of the study showed strong toxic side effects to even low levels of benzene exposure, their response was vague.

This study was also a way for Shell to showcase their dedication to the environment and health. Still, studies with conflicts of interest such as this one pose important questions; how much can corpoate-funded data be trusted, and how much of the companies motives are truly principled?

In the coming months, we'll examine this question with multiple examples from industry-funded science.