Measurement of Benzene Body-Burden for Populations Potentially Exposed to Benzene in the Environment

摘要

A pilot study was performed to assess the measurement of benzene body-burden for populations potentially environmentally exposed to benzene. Probability sampling was used to select the participants in the two study geographical sites, Harris County, TX and St. Louis, MO plus parts of Wood River, Roxana, South Roxana and Hartford, IL. Benzene levels were measured for the air and water environmental exposure for each participant and the benzene body-burden was measured through breath levels and, in a subsample, blood levels. A pretest of occupationally exposed and non-exposed individuals was used to test analytical methodology and the concept of breath as an indicator of body-burden. The blood benzene levels expected and observed required analytical methods capable of measuring - 1 micrograms/L or below. This methodology did not exist and had to be developed for the pretest and pilot study. Benzene levels for smokers and non-smokers were compared in the pretest. The range of air benzene levels found in the Harris County study (49 participants) was 2 to 45 micrograms/cu m with a weighted means of 16.1 micrograms/cu m; breath levels ranged from 0 to 14 micrograms/cu m with a weighted mean of 2.9 micrograms/cu m. In the St. Louis (68 participants) study the range of air benzene levels was 3 to 125 micrograms/cu m with a weighted mean of 26.8 micrograms/cu m; breath levels ranged from 1 to 26 micrograms/cu m with a weighted mean of 8.5 micrograms/cu m.