Biomarkers of Low-Level Environmental Exposure to Benzene and Oxidative DNA Damage in Primary School Children in Sardinia, Italy.

Ilaria Pilia,Pierluigi Cocco,Gabriele Marcias,Giovanna Spatari,Marcello Campagna,Elena Grignani,Ernesto D’Aloja,Daniele Fabbri,Danilo Cottica,Federico Meloni,Claudio Cocheo,Fabio De-Giorgio

doi:10.3390/ijerph18094644

Abstract

Background: The main anthropic sources of exposure to airborne benzene include vehicular traffic, cigarette smoke, and industrial emissions. Methods: To detect early genotoxic effects of environmental exposure to benzene, we monitored environmental, personal, and indoor airborne benzene in children living in an urban area and an area near a petrochemical plant. We also used urinary benzene and S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA) as biomarkers of benzene exposure and urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker of early genotoxic effects. Results: Although always below the European Union limit of 5 μg/m3, airborne benzene levels were more elevated in the indoor, outdoor, and personal samples from the industrial surroundings compared to the urban area (p = 0.026, p = 0.005, and p = 0.001, respectively). Children living in the surroundings of the petrochemical plant had urinary benzene values significantly higher than those from the urban area in both the morning and evening samples (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively). Results of multiple regression modelling showed that age was a significant predictor of 8-OHdG excretion, independent of the sampling hour. Moreover, at the low exposure level experienced by the children participating in this study, neither personal or indoor airborne benzene level, nor personal monitoring data, affected 8-OHdG excretion. Conclusions: Our results suggest the importance of biological monitoring of low-level environmental exposure and its relation to risk of genotoxic effects among children.

Highlights

Airborne benzene is a well-known ubiquitous volatile organic compound (VOC) that is still widespread in both environmental and occupational settings and is perhaps one of the most studied environmental pollutants [1]
Benzene and toluene analysis from passive diffusive samplers was conducted by gas chromatography coupled by mass spectrometry (GC-MS, 6890-5973, Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA) with a 70 eV inert electron impact source operating in single ion monitoring (SIM)
We combined environmental monitoring and biological monitoring data to investigate residential exposure to benzene and the related genotoxic effects using a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage among children, a segment of the population especially susceptible to the detrimental effects of environmental pollutants [42]

Summary

Introduction

Airborne benzene is a well-known ubiquitous volatile organic compound (VOC) that is still widespread in both environmental and occupational settings and is perhaps one of the most studied environmental pollutants [1]. Industrial emissions, cigarette smoke, and vehicular traffic are the main anthropic sources of environmental exposure to benzene [2]. The main anthropic sources of exposure to airborne benzene include vehicular traffic, cigarette smoke, and industrial emissions. Methods: To detect early genotoxic effects of environmental exposure to benzene, we monitored environmental, personal, and indoor airborne benzene in children living in an urban area and an area near a petrochemical plant. Results: always below the European Union limit of 5 μg/m3 , airborne benzene levels were more elevated in the indoor, outdoor, and personal samples from the industrial surroundings compared to the urban area (p = 0.026, p = 0.005, and p = 0.001, respectively). At the low exposure level experienced by the children participating in this study, neither personal or indoor airborne benzene level, nor personal monitoring data, affected

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion