Abstract
The aim of this review is to summarize epidemiological studies on the relationship between air exposure to benzene and respiratory health among children and adolescents. To the best of our knowledge, no previous review on this topic has been published. An exhaustive search in on-line bibliographic databases (PubMed and Web of Science) was carried out in April 2014. We selected observational analytical studies with individual data analyzing outdoor, indoor and personal exposure to benzene, and their association with at least one respiratory health outcome in children aged up to 18 years old. Fourteen papers published between 1999 and 2014 were selected (five for indoor, six for outdoor and three for personal exposure). In general, benzene exposure levels found in the studies were low, ranging between 1.5 and 24.8 μg/m3. Indoor exposure was higher than outdoor and personal exposure. Overall findings suggest that an increase in benzene exposure could impair respiratory health (asthma, lung function and pulmonary infections) in children aged up to 18 years old. However, since great diversity in methods and study designs exist, comparisons between results are hampered. Further research is needed to broaden knowledge on the effects of benzene on respiratory health during childhood.
Highlights
Seven million premature deaths in the year 2012 could be attributable to air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in its last Burden of Disease report [1]
The aim of this review is to summarize the epidemiological studies on the relationship between air exposure to benzene, directly measured, and respiratory problems among children
Summing up globally the results from the studies selected, benzene exposure among children was associated with asthma [17,23,25,29,30,31,32], lung function [30,32,34], pulmonary infections [26,28] and bronchitis [32]
Summary
Seven million premature deaths in the year 2012 could be attributable to air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in its last Burden of Disease report [1]. An impairment of respiratory health during childhood has been related with both indoor [4,5] and outdoor [6,7] air pollution. Respiratory diseases are among the main causes of child morbidity and mortality. Pneumonia along with diarrhea is the major cause of death in children under five years old [8]. Because of their physiologic and behavioral features, children are more exposed to air pollutants than adults and their vulnerability to respiratory illnesses is higher [6,8,9,10]. Studies conducted to broaden knowledge about risk factors for respiratory child health are relevant
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