Benzene biological monitoring

Biological monitoring for exposure to phenol is possible by measuring blood or urine levels of the parent compound. However, it should be noted that phenol and metabolites of phenol may also come from other sources. For example, phenol is a metabolite of benzene and of protein metabolism. Urine samples taken from male workers employed in the distillation of high-temperature phenolic fractions of tar revealed a phenol excretion rate of 4.20 mg/hour compared to a control rate of 0.53 mg/hour for non-exposed workers (Bieniek 1994). Samples were taken 4 hours into the workers workday, but the worker exposure levels were not reported. 

Stommel P, Muller G, Stucker W et al. 1989. Determination of S-phenylmercapturic acid in the urine-An improvement in the biological monitoring of benzene exposure. Carcinogenesis 10 279-282. 

Watanabe T, Ishihara N, Ikeda M. 1976. Toxicity of and biological monitoring for 1,3-diamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene and other nitro-amino derivatives of benzene and chlorobenzene. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 37 157-168. 

Preliminary results in the validation of a novel short term test. Mutat. Res., 46, 305-310 Watanabe, T., Ishihara, N. Ikeda, M. (1976) Toxicity of and biological monitoring for 1,3-diamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene and other nitro-amino derivatives of benzene and chlorobenzene. Int Arch, occup. environ. Health, 37, 157-168 Yoshimi, N., Sugie, S., Iwata, H., Niwa, K., Mori, H., Hashida, C. Shimizu, H. (1988) The genotoxicity of a variety of aniline derivatives in a DNA repair test with primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Mutat. Res., 206, 183-191... 

Reliable evaluation of the potential for human exposure to benzene depends in part on the reliability of supporting analytical data from environmental samples and biological specimens. In reviewing data on benzene levels monitored in the environment, it should also be noted that the amount of chemical identified analytically is not necessarily equivalent to the amount that is bioavailable. 

Boogaard PJ, van Sittert NJ. 1995. Biological monitoring of exposure to benzene a comparison between S-phenylmercapturic acid, trans,trans-muconic acid, and phenol. Occup Environ Med 52 611-620. 

Drummond L, Luck R, Afacan AS, et al. 1988. Biological monitoring of workers exposed to benzene in the coke oven industry. Br J Ind Med 45 256-261. 

Kok PW, Ong CN. 1994. Blood and urinary benzene determined by headspace gas chromatography with photoionization detection application in biological monitoring of low-level nonoccupational exposure. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 66(3) 195-201. 

Lee B-L, New A-L, Kok P-W, et al. 1993. Urinary trans, trans-muconic acid determined by liquid chromatography application in biological monitoring of benzene exposure. Clin Chem 39 1788-1792. 

Ong CN, Lee BL. 1994. Determination of benzene and its metabolites application in biological monitoring of environmental and occupational exposure to benzene. J Chromatogr B Biomed Appl 660 (1) 1-22. 

Pekari K, Vainiotalo S, Heikkila P, et al. 1992. Biological monitoring of occupational exposure to low levels of benzene. Scand J Work Environ Health 18(5) 317-322. 

R. Lauwerys Industrial Health and Safety, Human Biological Monitoring of Industrial Chemicals 1 Benzene with 46 pages (including 5 figures and 84 literature references). Commission of the European Communities EUR 6570/1979... 

Fustinoni S, Buratti M, Giampiccolo R, et al. 1995. Biological and environmental monitoring of exposure to airborne benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons in Milan traffic wardens. Toxicol Letters 77 387-392. 

Chromatographic columns (85 X 9 cm) were packed with ca. 1500 g silica gel in benzene-MeOH-acetic acid (90 16 8,v v v) to a bed length of ca. 50 cm. 100 g portions of the biologically active dark brown gum were mixed with 200 g of silica gel in 2-propanol, and, after the 2-propanol was evaporated, the brown powder was applied to the prepared column. The column was then eluted with benzene-MeOH-acetic acid (90 16 8,v v v) and the eluate monitored via spectrophotometry. Active fractions that correlated with a maximum % transmittance at 400 nm appeared after the first 3 L of solvent eluted. Thereafter, 1 L fractions were collected and those showing activity were combined. After solvent evaporation, about 450 g of active material from 181 kg of pollen were obtained (ca. 564 g active material per 227 kg pollen, equivalent). 

Tothill I. E. and Stephens S., Methods for environmental monitoring Biological methods, in Analytical Methods for Environmental Monitoring, ed. R. Ahmad, M. Cartwright and F. Taylor (Harlow Pearson Edncation, Chapter 9, pp. 224-259, 2001). Mason J. R., The indnction and repression of benzene and catechol oxidizing capacity of Pseudomonasputida ML2 stndied in pertnrhed chemostat cnltnre, Arc/j. Microbiol., 162, 57-62,1994. 

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