부산대학교 도서관

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.09.011 Byline: Anna Barbieri, Francesco Saverio Violante, Laura Sabatini, Francesca Graziosi, Stefano Mattioli Keywords: Biomonitoring; Unmetabolized benzene; S-Phenylmercapturic acid; Smoking habit Abbreviations: UBz, urinary concentration of unmodified benzene; UTol, urinary concentration of unmodified toluene; SPMA, urinary concentration of S-phenylmercapturic acid corrected for creatinine excretion; BenzA, environmental concentration of benzene; TolA, environmental concentration of toluene Abstract: The categories of urban workers undergoing prolonged exposure to gasoline due to vehicle emissions, evaporation and traffic fumes are considered occupationally exposed to benzene, even if at low concentrations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the specificity of unmetabolized benzene excreted in urine (UBz) and S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA) as biomarkers of exposure to very low levels of benzene, and to study the impact of putative individual confounders like smoking and alcohol habits, co-exposure to other toxicants and body mass index on the exposure assessment. Environmental and biological monitoring of exposure to benzene were performed in 114 Urban Policemen. The mean value of UBz in non-smokers was significantly lower than in either groups of light to moderate smokers and heavy smokers (0.24, 1.82 and 2.82[mu]gL.sup.-1, respectively). On the contrary, SPMA values did not discriminate exposure resulting from smoking habits. Moreover, the concentration of UBz in non-smokers appears to be correlated with environmental benzene concentration (BenzA) (R.sup.2 =0.13, [beta] =0.37, p =0.002). On the other hand, no significant correlation was found between SPMA concentration (corrected for creatinine excretion and log transformed, LogSPMA) and LogBenzA (R.sup.2 =0.003, [beta] =0.05, p =0.6). Our findings reinforce previous research on the use of unmetabolized urinary benzene as a specific and sensitive biomarker of low-level exposure to benzene and confirm that smoking habits strongly influence the excretion of UBz. Author Affiliation: Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sant'Orsola Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy Article History: Received 22 May 2008; Revised 4 August 2008; Accepted 4 September 2008