title: Workers exposed to low levels of benzene present in urban air: Assessment of peripheral blood count variations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies in the literature have examined the effects of benzene on blood cells.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible correlation between the blood benzene levels and the blood cell counts.
  
  
  METHODS
  From a population of 2658 workers, we studied a group of 215 subjects. Each worker underwent blood sampling for the assessment of the blood benzene levels and the blood cell counts. The Mann-Whitney U test for two-mode variables and the Kruskal-Wallis test for more-than-two-mode variables were performed on all subjects. We estimated the Pearson correlation index between the variables in the total sample and the subgroups divided according to sex, the smoking habit, and job. After the main confounding factors were evaluated, multiple linear regression was performed on both the total sample and the subgroups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant inverse correlation was found among the blood benzene levels and the white blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils in traffic policemen, motorcyclists, and other outdoor workers. We did not find any significant correlation with any other parameters of blood cell count.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results, which must be considered preliminary, indicate that increased blood benzene levels in outdoor workers lead to decreased counts of white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, because of possible immune effects. These are worth investigating in the future by specific immune tests.
authors.affiliation: University of Rome "La Sapienza", Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Teodorico
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Casale
authors.affiliation: University of Rome "La Sapienza", Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopaedics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Serafino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: University of Rome "La Sapienza", Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Loreti
authors.affiliation: University of Rome "La Sapienza", Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pacchiarotti
authors.affiliation: Chair of Occupational Medicine, Health Services Research Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence. 1/23 Largo Piero Palagi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cupelli
authors.affiliation: Chair of Occupational Medicine, Health Services Research Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence. 1/23 Largo Piero Palagi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arcangeli
authors.affiliation: Chair of Occupational Medicine, Health Services Research Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence. 1/23 Largo Piero Palagi, Florence, Italy; Institute of Occupational Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, 1 Largo Francesco Vito, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mucci
authors.affiliation: University of Rome "La Sapienza", Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Antuono
authors.affiliation: University of Rome "La Sapienza", Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric and Psychological Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: gianfranco.tomei@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.affiliation: Spin off of University of Rome " Sapienza " "Sipro", Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.affiliation: University of Rome "La Sapienza", Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Valeria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Rosati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001554:Benzene / Q000032:analysis*; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D016495:Police; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001554:Benzene
keywords: Airborne benzene; Blood benzene; Lymphocytes; Neutrophils; Urban pollution; White blood cells