External Exposure to BTEX, Internal Biomarker Response, and Health Risk Assessment of Nonoccupational Populations near a Coking Plant in Southwest China

Ning Qin, Yuanyuan Zhu, Yan Zhong, Jing Tian, Jihua Li, Laiguo Chen, Ruifang Fan and Fusheng Wei
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Ning Qin: School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Yuanyuan Zhu: School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Yan Zhong: Anshan Ecological Environment Monitoring Center of Liaoning Province, Anshan 114000, China
Jing Tian: Anshan Ecological Environment Monitoring Center of Liaoning Province, Anshan 114000, China
Jihua Li: Qujing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qujing 655011, China
Laiguo Chen: Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Ecological Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China
Ruifang Fan: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Fusheng Wei: School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers (BTEX) have raised increasing concern due to their adverse effects on human health. In this study, a coking factory and four communities nearby were selected as the research area. Atmospheric BTEX samples were collected and determined by a preconcentrator GC–MS method. Four biomarkers in the morning urine samples of 174 participants from the communities were measured by LC–MS. The health risks of BTEX exposure via inhalation were estimated. This study aimed to investigate the influence of external BTEX exposure on the internal biomarker levels and quantitatively evaluate the health risk of populations near the coking industry. The results showed that the average total BTEX concentration in residential area was 7.17 ± 7.24 μg m −3 . Trans,trans-muconic acid (T,T-MA) was the urinary biomarker with the greatest average level (127 ± 285 μg g −1 crt). Similar spatial trends can be observed between atmospheric benzene concentration and internal biomarker levels. The mean values of the LCR for male and female residents were 2.15 × 10 −5 and 2.05 × 10 −5 , respectively. The results of the risk assessment indicated that special attention was required for the non-occupational residents around the area.

Keywords: benzene homologues; biomarkers; external exposure; health risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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