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Biomarkers of benzene exposure and their interpretation for human health risk assessment
Citation:
Boogaard, P. J., S. M. Arnold, P. S. Price, S. H. Robinson, M. F. HUGHES, AND R. Schnatter. Biomarkers of benzene exposure and their interpretation for human health risk assessment. Presented at Eurotox 2011, Paris, FRANCE, August 28 - 31, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
This abstract describes a case study on biomarkers of exposure using benzene as the example. For non-smokers in the general population, reported levels of urinary benzene, urinary S-phenylmercapturic acid and blood benzene generally reflect ambient air benzene exposure concentrations and are comparable to the US EPA reference concentration for benzene.
Description:
Human biomarkers of exposure such as parent or metabolite concentrations in blood or urine are often reported without any context to the sources of exposure or the implications for human risk. The Biomonitoring Technical Committee of the International Life Sciences Institute/Human and Environmental Science Institute (ILSI/HESI) developed a case study to relate measured human biomarkers to human risk. Although the committee selected benzene as an example compound, the approach is generally applicable to other compounds. Benzene in blood or benzene and its metabolites in urine [S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA), phenol, catechol, hydroquinone, and muconic acid] were evaluated in approximately 100 reference populations to determine benzene exposure and risk. For non-smokers in the general population, reported levels ofurinary benzene, urinary SPMA, and blood benzene generally reflect the level that would occur from exposure to ambient air benzene concentrations and the USEPA reference concentration. Smokers of the general population frequently exceed this level. At ambient air benzene exposure levels, non-benzene sources (e.g., diet) of phenol, catechol, hydroquinone, and muconic acid can overwhelm the contribution of these compounds from benzene, which frequently obviates the use of these urinary metabolites for evaluating benzene exposure and human health risk. This abstract does not reflect USEPA policy.