Exposure to benzene, toluene, xylenes and naphthalene in the general population of Gothenburg

摘要

Background and aim: Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen (IARC, group 1), naphthalene is considered a possible human carcinogen (IARC, group 2B). Toluene and xylenes affect the central nervous system at high exposures, but are not classified as carcinogens. All substances originate from various combustion processes, e.g. traffic, industry, wood smoke and cigarette smoke. The aim was to measure personal exposure, indoor and outdoor levels of these air pollutants in the general population. Methods: Personal exposure along with indoor (bedroom), and residential outdoor concentrations of benzene, toluene, xylenes and naphthalene were measured for 37 randomly selected adults in Gothenburg, Sweden. Repeated sampling was performed for 20 of the study participants, and each sampling period was 7 days. The diffusive sampler Perkin-Elmer with Tenax TA was used, and analysed with ATD-GC-MS. Results: Median personal exposure to benzene, toluene, xylenes and naphthalene was 0.7; 6.9; 4.7 and 0.2 μg/m3, respectively. Personal exposure was significantly higher than outdoor levels for all substances, and indoor concentrations were significantly higher than outdoor levels for toluene, xylenes and naphthalene. Personal exposure was highly correlated with indoor levels for all compounds. The between-person variance component dominated the total variability for personal benzene and toluene, whereas the within-person variance dominated for naphthalene. For personal exposure to xylenes, the variance components were approximately equally partitioned. Between-home variances dominated for indoor concentrations, while essentially all the variability in outdoor levels was attributable to day-to-day variances. Conclusions: The median personal exposure to benzene was below the Swedish health-based guideline value of 1.3 μg/m3. Personal exposures to toluene, xylenes and naphthalene were well below the guideline values suggested by the EU INDEX project.