Construction of a database of benzene biological monitoring.
Biological monitoring of occupational exposure to benzene has been conducted in the petroleum, steel and chemical industries. The urinary benzene-specific biomarker, S-phenylmercapturic acid (PMA), was quantified in post-shift samples using a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and expressed as a function of urinary creatinine concentration. The assay, based on a PMA-specific antiserum, is sufficiently sensitive to measure PMA levels in non-occupationally exposed control subjects. The assay delivers batch results in a timely manner which may be as short as 3 h. Samples were analysed from groups of workers engaged in coke oven combustion processes, petroleum refining and decontamination of a benzene land spill. The construction of a database of results provides an index of benzene uptake as a consequence of the respective work processes and tasks and readily enables benchmarking exercises aimed at comparing degrees of exposure across segments of industry.
AB Biomonitoring Limited, Cardiff Medicentre, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK.
J E
JE
Pople
R L
RL
Ball
M J
MJ
Padgett
J P
JP
Aston
D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D001554:Benzene / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002617:Chemical Industry; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D010578:Petroleum; D013232:Steel
D015415:Biomarkers; D010578:Petroleum; D013232:Steel; C053003:S-phenyl-N-acetylcysteine; D001554:Benzene; D000111:Acetylcysteine