Estimating Benzene Exposure Level over Time and by Industry Type through a Review of Literature on Korea

Abstract

The major purpose of this study is to construct a retrospective exposure assessment for benzene through a review of literature on Korea. Airborne benzene measurements reported in 34 articles were reviewed. A total of 15,729 individual measurements were compiled. Weighted arithmetic means [AM(w)] and their variance calculated across studies were summarized according to 5-year period intervals (prior to the 1970s through the 2010s) and industry type. Industries were classified according to Korea Standard Industrial Classification (KSIC) using information provided in the literature. We estimated quantitative retrospective exposure to benzene for each cell in the matrix through a combination of time and KSIC. Analysis of the AM(w) indicated reductions in exposure levels over time, regardless of industry, with mean levels prior to the 1980–1984 period of 50.4 ppm (n = 2,289), which dropped to 2.8 ppm (n = 305) in the 1990–1994 period, and to 0.1 ppm (n = 294) in the 1995–1999 period. There has been no improvement since the 2000s, when the AM(w) of 4.3 ppm (n = 6,211) for the 2005–2009 period and 4.5 ppm (n = 3,358) for the 2010–2013 period were estimated. A comparison by industry found no consistent patterns in the measurement results. Our estimated benzene measurements can be used to determine not only the possibility of retrospective exposure to benzene, but also to estimate the level of quantitative or semiquantitative retrospective exposure to benzene.

Comparison of personal air benzene and urine <i>t,t</i>-muconic acid as a benzene exposure surrogate during turnaround maintenance in petrochemical plants

“…It also suppresses bone marrow, resulting in serious hematological adverse effects such as pancytopenia and aplastic anemia 2 , 3 , 4 ) . Benzene exposure has occurred across a wide range of industries 5 ) .…”

Indolent B-Cell Lymphoid Malignancy in the Spleen of a Man Who Handled Benzene: Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma

“…The trend of NHL occurrence due to benzene exposure is different from that of general NHL occurrence [13] . Of the 76 Korean cases determined to have a malignant lymphohematopoietic disease owing to benzene exposure from 1994 to 2012, nine patients had NHL, and the mean latency period from the exposure was 17.2 ± 7.3 years, and the mean age at the time of diagnosis was 44.8 ± 7.6 years [6] , [14] . Although there were only nine cases, these patients were diagnosed at a younger age compared to nonoccupational NHL patients, and there was a longer mean latency period after exposure to benzene.…”

“…Therefore, we estimated the level of benzene exposure by tracing the amount of benzene used in the past. According to job-exposure matrices developed by Park et al [6] , who estimated past benzene exposure in the Republic of Korea based on past reports and measurement samples, the weighted arithmetic means for airborne benzene level between 1980 and 1984 was 50.35 ± 26.83 ppm. Precision measurement is a relatively new field, and benzene exposure in the field cannot be directly compared to job-exposure matrices results.…”

“…Precision measurement is a relatively new field, and benzene exposure in the field cannot be directly compared to job-exposure matrices results. However, we believe that benzene was widely used in the past [6] , and workers in diverse industries were exposed to high levels. We infer that our patient was also exposed to high levels of benzene.…”

Controlling Painters' Exposure to Volatile Organic Solvents in the Automotive Sector of Southern Colombia

“…The occupational exposure of painters to organic solvents has been widely studied in industrialized countries, such as Canada, Korea, New Zealand, and Spain, and in emerging economies such as Iran, Pakistan, Thailand, Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]. In addition, the acute effects of organic solvents on the health of workers have also been demonstrated.…”