Health impact assessment of exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene in people living nearby the industrial areas, Rayong province

Abstract

To address the higher incidence of cancers such as leukemia reported in Map Ta Phut area and other areas of Rayong province, this study aims to study exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene that have been linked to cancer in hematopoietic system in people living nearby the industrial estates in Rayong province. Study subjects comprised 313 healthy residents living nearby the industrial estates in five sub-districts and 100 volunteers from two non- industrial sites located in Rayong and Chonburi province. The results showed that differences in levels of DNA damage such as 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and DNA strand breaks as well as DNA repair capacity between the exposed and control groups were not statistically significant. Exposures to benzene and 1,3-butadiene and levels of urinary trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA) and monohydroxy-butyl mercapuric acid (MHBMA), which are specific metabolites for benzene and 1,3-butadiene, respectively, were similar in these groups. In addition, individual exposure levels of benzene and 1,3-butadiene did not correlate with 8-OHdG, DNA strand breaks and DNA repair capacity, suggesting that these compounds may not be solely responsible for the increased health risk in the study subjects. Other chemicals from the emission and/or other sources may be involed. Further studies are needed to clarify the exposure-health risk concern.