Associations between blood BTEXS concentrations and hematologic parameters among adult residents of the U.S. Gulf States

Abstract

Background Studies of workers exposed to benzene at average air concentrations below one part per million suggest that benzene, a known hematotoxin, causes hematopoietic damage even at low exposure levels. However, evidence of such effects outside of occupational settings and for other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is limited. Objective To investigate associations between ambient exposures to five VOCs, including benzene, and hematologic parameters among adult residents of the U. S. Gulf Coast. Materials and Methods Blood concentrations of selected VOCs were measured in a sample of adult participants in the Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study (GuLF STUDY) during 2012 and 2013. Complete blood counts with differentials were also performed on a subset of participants (n=406). We used these data together with detailed questionnaire data to estimate adjusted associations between blood BTEXS (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m/p-xylene, and styrene) concentrations and hematologic parameters using generalized linear models. Results We observed inverse associations between blood benzene concentrations and hemoglobin concentration and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and a positive association with red cell distribution width among tobacco smoke-unexposed participants (n=146). Among tobacco smoke-exposed participants (n=247), we observed positive associations between blood VOC concentrations and several hematologic parameters, including increased white blood cell and platelet counts, suggestive of hematopoietic stimulation typically associated with tobacco smoke exposure. Most associations were stronger for benzene than for the other VOCs. Conclusions Our results suggest that ambient exposure to BTEXS, particularly benzene, may be associated with hematologic effects, including decreased hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and increased red cell distribution width.

Haematological Changes in Benzene Exposed Workers in Sudan

“…(19,21,23,24) Furthermore, the study results illustrated in Table 4 and Table 5 showed a signi cant reduction in the means of PCV, Hb, MCH, MCV, PLTs count, Monocyte counts, and the Neutrophil counts among benzene station workers compared with the healthy individuals. These ndings are in agreement with many studies (21,23,25) reported a decrease in PLTs count and decreases in MCH among benzene exposure workers and with the study, (26) who reported a reduction in Hb concentration. The ndings also agree with previous studies (22,24,26) which stated the same results regarding decreases of PCV.…”

Influence of benzene exposure, fat content, and their interactions on erythroid-related hematologic parameters in petrochemical workers: a cross-sectional study

“…Thus, we focused on the associations of benzene with erythroid-related hematologic parameters in the present study. Although substantial previous studies have explored the linear relationship between benzene exposure and erythroidrelated hematologic parameters [9,23], their findings were inconsistent and few studies have further investigated whether there were any non-linear relationships. Since RCS allows easy visualization and flexible associations between an exposure and outcome, we applied this model to fully examine the dose-response relationships.…”

“…Studies have shown that females have a higher percentage of body fat, gender alters the biotransformation of benzene, and women may be more susceptible to blood alterations caused by benzene exposure [36]. Cigarette smoking is one of the most important sources of benzene, and studies have demonstrated that smoking may affect the associations of benzene exposure with blood cell counts [23]. In addition, smoking and drinking have been found to stimulate hematopoietic system, and result in the changes of hematologic parameters, such as RBC count, Hb, and MCV [37,38].…”

Influence of benzene exposure, fat content, and their interactions on erythroid-related hematologic parameters in petrochemical workers: a cross-sectional study

“…Thus, we focused on the associations of benzene with erythroid-related hematologic parameters in the present study. Although substantial previous studies have explored the linear relationship between benzene exposure and erythroid-related hematologic parameters [9,23], their findings were inconsistent and few studies have further investigated whether there were any non-linear relationships. Since RCS allows easy In the present study, urinary SPMA, a sensitive and specific benzene exposure biomarker which is rarely influenced by other factors (such as diet) [24], was found to have inverse U-shape and U-shape nonlinear relationships with HCT and MCHC, respectively, with the inflection points of ln-transformed SPMA at around − 1.8 (equivalent to about 0.17 μg/g creatinine of SPMA).…”

“…Studies have shown that females have a higher percentage of body fat, gender alters the biotransformation of benzene, and women may be more susceptible to blood alterations caused by benzene exposure [36]. Cigarette smoking is one of the most important sources of benzene, and studies have demonstrated that smoking may affect the associations of benzene exposure with blood cell counts [23]. In addition, smoking and drinking have been found to stimulate hematopoietic system, and result in the changes of hematologic parameters, such as RBC count, Hb, and MCV [37,38].…”