Benzene in the environment: an assessment of the potential risks to the health of the population

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) England), 2001-01, Vol.58 (1), p.2-13
• Main Authors: Duarte-Davidson, R, Courage, C, Rushton, L, Levy, L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Aged; Air; Air Pollutants - adverse effects; Air Pollutants - analysis; Automobiles; Benzene; Benzene - adverse effects; Benzene - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Body weight; British Isles; Carcinogens, Environmental - adverse effects; Carcinogens, Environmental - analysis; Chemical hazards; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Cigarette smoking; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Dosage; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Emissions; environment; Environmental aspects; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Evaluation; Female; Gasoline; Headaches; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Households; Humans; Hydrocarbons; Industrial plant emissions; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Inhalation; Leukemia; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - chemically induced; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Microenvironments; Nausea; Nervous system; Occupational exposure; Paint removers; Passive smoking; Pollutants; Population; Pregnancy; Public health; Review; Risk Assessment; Risk factors; Risk factors (Health); Secondhand smoke; Toxicology; United Kingdom - epidemiology; Vehicle Emissions - adverse effects; Vehicle Emissions - analysis; Vertigo
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/oem.58.1.2

OBJECTIVES Benzene has long been recognised as a carcinogen and recent concern has centred on the effects of continuous exposure to low concentrations of benzene both occupationally and environmentally. This paper presents an overview of the current knowledge about human exposure to benzene in the United Kingdom population based on recently published data, summarises the known human health effects, and uses this information to provide a risk evaluation for sections of the general United Kingdom population. METHOD Given the minor contribution that non-inhalation sources make to the overall daily intake of benzene to humans, only exposure from inhalation has been considered when estimating the daily exposure of the general population to benzene. Exposure of adults, children, and infants to benzene has been estimated for different exposure scenarios with time-activity patterns and inhalation and absorption rates in conjunction with measured benzene concentrations for a range of relevant microenvironments. Exposures during refuelling and driving, as well as the contribution of active and passive tobacco smoke, have been considered as part of the characterisation of risk of the general population. RESULTS Infants (