Abstract
BackgroundUbiquitously distributed benzene is a known hematotoxin. Increasing evidence has suggested that erythroid-related hematologic parameters may be sensitive to benzene exposure. Fat content, which is also closely associated with erythroid-related hematologic parameters, may affect the distribution and/or metabolism of benzene, and eventually benzene-induced toxicity.MethodsTo explore the influence of benzene exposure, fat content, and their interactions on erythroid-related hematologic parameters, we recruited 1669 petrochemical workers and measured their urinary S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA) concentration and erythroid-related hematological parameters. Indices for fat content included body fat percentage (BF%), plasma total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG), and occurrence of fatty liver.ResultsThe dose-response curve revealed U-shaped nonlinear relationships of SPMA with hematocrit (HCT) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (P-overall < 0.001, and P-nonlinear < 0.015), as well as positive linear associations and r-shaped nonlinear relationships of continuous fat content indices with erythroid-related hematological parameters (P-overall ≤0.005). We also observed modification effects of fat content on the associations between benzene exposure and erythroid-related hematological parameters, with workers of lower or higher BF% and TG more sensitive to benzene-induced elevation of MCHC (Pinteraction = 0.021) and benzene-induced decrease of HCT (Pinteraction = 0.050), respectively. We also found that some erythroid-related hematologic parameters differed between subgroups of workers with different SPMA levels and fat content combination.ConclusionsOur study suggested that benzene exposure, fat content, and their interactions may affect erythroid-related hematological parameters in petrochemical workers in a complex manner that are worthy of further investigation.
Highlights
Our study suggested that benzene exposure, fat content, and their interactions may affect erythroidrelated hematological parameters in petrochemical workers in a complex manner that are worthy of further investigation
BF% and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were significantly lower while HCT, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and red cell distribution width (RDW)-or median (SD) were higher in exposed workers than control subjects
We investigated these associations in workers with different characteristics with generalized linear models (GLMs) (See Tables S1-S5, Additional file 1). These results indicated that general characteristics could modify the associations of S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA) and fat content with some erythroid-related hematologic parameters, with such influence more pronounced in females, non-smokers, and non-drinkers (Pinteraction < 0.05)
Summary
Increasing evidence has suggested that erythroid-related hematologic parameters may be sensitive to benzene exposure. Fat content, which is closely associated with erythroid-related hematologic parameters, may affect the distribution and/or metabolism of benzene, and eventually benzene-induced toxicity. Benzene is a representative single-ring aromatic compound which ubiquitously distributes in our environment due to its high volatility and extensive emission sources. With the increasing development of industrialization and globalization, many developing countries have achieved great growth in the production of petrochemical products. This expands the population of petrochemical workers potentially exposed to benzene [2]. Occupational exposures are likely to occur at higher concentrations than those encountered in the general environment
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