BTEX Exposure Assessment and Inhalation Health Risks to Traffic Policemen in the Klang Valley Region, Malaysia

Abstract

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene (collectively referred to as BTEX), which are prevalent in the ambient air of urban environments, potentially cause chronic health effects, particularly among outdoor workers. Aim of this study was to evaluate BTEX concentrations in the Klang Valley of Malaysia and assess the health risks to urban traffic police officers, whose duties include controlling the traffic flow and enforcing traffic laws. Air samples were collected with low-flow personal samplers during the officers' work shifts outdoors, and the BTEX content was then analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with thermal desorption (TD). A probabilistic method based on Monte Carlo simulation was applied to determine the cancer risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), and a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the greatest contributors to the estimated risks. The total BTEX concentration in the samples averaged 211.83 µg m -3 , with the largest component being toluene (averaging 89.08 µg m -3 in concentration), followed by m,p-xylene (37.25 µg m -3 ), o-xylene (35.80 µg m -3 ), benzene (25.82 µg m -3 ), and ethylbenzene (23.89 µg m -3 ). The average CR value for benzene (5.31 × 10 -6 ) as well as the 95 th percentiles of the CR values for benzene and ethylbenzene (1.70 × 10 -5 and 2.12 × 10 -6 , respectively) exceeded the acceptable level of exposure (1.0 × 10 -6 ). The HQ values for all of the BTEX species were less than one. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the most influential parameter in increasing the estimated CR and HQ was the exposure duration, followed by the BTEX concentration. The estimated CR indicates that the prolonged exposure to benzene and ethylbenzene experienced by traffic police officers exacerbates the risk of adverse health effects. These results, which provide baseline data for determining the occupational risk to individuals who are exposed to BTEX while working on or near a road, emphasize the need for additional regulations, including the use of appropriate respiratory protective equipment.

Exposure to Particulate PAHs on Potential Genotoxicity and Cancer Risk among School Children Living Near the Petrochemical Industry

“…Meanwhile, the TEQ value in the comparative dataset contributed about 66.7% variance of the risk output ( Figure 4 B). Similarly, the body weight of children in the comparative area had an antagonistic relationship (−0.19), which is consistent with health risk assessment studies [ 51 , 79 , 80 ].…”

Risk assessment of workers’ exposure to BTEX and hazardous area classification at gasoline stations

“…Gasoline workers had health risks from BTEX chronic exposure and some workers had a higher than acceptable risk of BTEX exposure [ 5 , 6 ]. It was also shown that the lifetime cancer risk of exposure to benzene in Thai gasoline workers exceeded the acceptable limit [ 5 , 7 , 8 ] and this risk was similar to that found in the studies in Malaysia [ 9 , 10 ]. The health risks of working in hazardous zones at gasoline stations related to BTEX exposure are still not clear with regard to the contribution from sources of vaporization.…”

“…From the adverse-effect risk assessment findings on exposure to BTEX via inhaled air in working zones, it was found that there were five stations which had a high health risk value exceeding an acceptable limit (HI>1) for BTEX exposure. As a result, benzene exposure at five gasoline stations was assessed to be unacceptable with regard to human risk, which was supported by recent studies in Thailand [ 6 ] and Malaysia [ 9 , 10 ], which has similar climatic conditions to Thailand. The previous findings showed that an unacceptable risk (HQ>1) of benzene exposure at gasoline stations was related to their locations, i.e.…”

Malaysian Traffic Police in Highly Populated Areas: Is it Safe Working Outdoors on a Daily Basis?

“…Muhammad et al (2012) recorded a relatively lower mean value of PM 2.5 at 22.33 ± 8.54 µg m -3 in a study among traffic police in Kuala Lumpur back in 2012. A current study by Fandi et al (2020) reported that extended exposure to benzene and ethylbenzene increases the risk of adverse health effects among traffic police.…”

“…Fandi et al (2018) Traffic police (KL) PM 10 The respiratory symptoms were significantly higher in the exposed group which they were 3.9, 4.1, and 3.5 times more likely to develop cough, wheezing, and breathlessness respectively. Fandi et al (2020) Traffic police (Klang Valley) Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene (BTEX)…”