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.
Pople
J E
JE
AB Biomonitoring Limited, Cardiff Medicentre, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK.
Ball
R L
RL
Padgett
M J
MJ
Aston
J P
JP
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