Exposures to benzene and other volatile compounds from active and passive smoking
Personal exposures and breath concentrations of approximately 20 volatile organics were measured for 200 smokes and 322 nonsmokers in New Jersey and California. Smokers displayed significantly elevated breath levels of benzene, styrene, ethylbenzene, m + p-xylene, o-xylene, and octane. Significant increases in breath concentration with number of cigarettes smoked were noted for the first four aromatic compounds. Based on direct measurements of benzene in mainstream cigarette smoke, it is calculated that a typical smoker inhales 2 mg benzene daily, compared to 0.2 ng/day for the nonsmoker. Thus, cigarette smoking may be the most important source of exposure to benzene for about 50 million citizens of the United States. Passive smokers exposed at work had significantly elevated levels of aromatics in their breath. Indoor air levels in homes with smokers were significantly greater than in nonsmoking home during fall and winter but not during spring and summer. The average annual increase in homes with smokers was 3.6 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ for benzene and 0.5 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ for styrene-an approximate 50% relative increase in each case. Thus, exposure to benzene and styrene may be increased for the approximately 60% of children and other nonsmokers living in homes with smokers.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5284137
- Journal Information:
- Arch. Environ. Health; (United States), Vol. 42:5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BENZENE
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
OCTANE
STYRENE
XYLENES
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
BREATH
CALIFORNIA
CHILDREN
DRINKING WATER
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
NEW JERSEY
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
TOBACCO SMOKES
VOLATILE MATTER
AEROSOLS
AGE GROUPS
AIR POLLUTION
ALKANES
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
COLLOIDS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
FEDERAL REGION II
FEDERAL REGION IX
HAZARDS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
MATTER
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
RESIDUES
SMOKES
SOLS
USA
VARIATIONS
WATER
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)