Human exposure to styrene vapor.

Abstract

Human volunteers were exposed to styrene vapor at approximately 50, 100, 200, and 375 ppm for periods of one to seven hours. Only at 375 ppm did the subjects experience significant subjective symptoms and show objective signs of transient neurological impairment. A small portion of the absorbed styrene was rapidly and exponentially excreted from the lungs in the postexposure period. A measurement of the amount of styrene present in the breath in the early postexposure period provided a means for making an estimation of magnitude of exposure. The determination of urinary hippuric acid proved to be insensitive as an indicator of exposure to this compound at these vapor concentrations.