Hematotoxicity and carcinogenicity of inhaled benzene

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.898297· OSTI ID:6967880

Cronkite, E P; Bullis, J E ^[1]; Drew, R T ^[2]; Inoue, Tohru; Hirabayashi, Yoko ^[3]

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1. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (USA)
2. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC (USA)
3. Yokohama City Univ. (Japan)

CBA/Ca male mice have been exposed to benzene in air at 10, 25, 100, 300, 400, and 3,000 ppm for variable intervals 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for up to 16 weeks. Two weeks of inhaling 10 ppm produced no hematologic effects; 25 ppm induced a significant lymphopenia. Inhalation of 100, 300, and 400 ppm produced dose-dependent decreases in blood lymphocytes, bone marrow cellularity, marrow content of spleen colony-forming units (CFU-S) and an increased fraction of CFU-S in DNA synthesis. Exposure of mice to 300 ppm for 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks produced severe lymphopenia and decrease in marrow CFU-S. Recovery was rapid and complete after 2 and 4 weeks of exposure. After 8 and 16 weeks of exposure, recovery of lymphocytes was complete within 8 weeks. It took 16 weeks for the CFU-S to recover to that of the age-matched controls after 8 weeks of exposure and 25 weeks to recover to age-matched after 16 weeks of exposure. Inhalation of 3,000 ppm for 8 days was less damaging than inhalation of 300 ppm for 80 days (same integral amount of benzene inhaled). The inhalation of 3,000 ppm has not increased the incidence of leukemia or shortened its latency for development. Inhalation of 300 ppm 6 hr/day for 16 weeks significantly increases the incidence of myelogenous neoplasms in male CBA/Ca mice. Inhalation of 100 ppm for same interval does not influence incidence of myelogenous neoplasms but does increase incidence of solid neoplasms particularly in female CBA/Ca mice. Benzene is a potent carcinogen in CBA/Ca mice.

• OSTI ID: 6967880
• Journal Information: Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA), Journal Name: Environmental Health Perspectives; (USA) Vol. 82; ISSN 0091-6765; ISSN EVHPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
BENZENE
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BLOOD COUNT
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
BONE MARROW CELLS
CARCINOGENESIS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISEASE INCIDENCE
DISEASES
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM
HEMIC DISEASES
HYDROCARBONS
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
INHALATION
INTAKE
LEUKOCYTES
LEUKOPENIA
LYMPHOCYTES
LYMPHOPENIA
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MICE
NEOPLASMS
NEUTROPHILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PATHOGENESIS
RISK ASSESSMENT
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
VERTEBRATES