A survey of personal exposures to benzene in Mexico City

Benzene is a widely distributed environmental contaminant that causes leuke mia. It is an important component in gasoline, it is used frequently as a s olvent or chemical feedstock in industry, and it is emitted as a product of incomplete combustion. In Mexico City, investigators suspect that benzene exposure might be elevated and may pose a risk to the population; however, no published data are available to confirm or disconfirm this suspicion. We , therefore, conducted a survey in 3 occupational groups in Mexico City. Fo rty-five volunteers who used portable passive monitors measured their perso nal exposure to benzene during a workshift. None of the participants smoked during the monitoring period. Benzene exposure was significantly higher am ong service-station attendants (mean = 359.5 mu g/m(3) [standard deviation = 170.4 mu g/m(3)]) than among the street vendors (83.7 mu g/m(3) and 45.0 mu g/m(3), respectively) and office workers (45.2 mu g/m(3) and 13.3 mu g/m (3), respectively). However, the benzene exposure levels observed among off ice workers were substantially higher than levels reported elsewhere for ge neral populations. Our results highlight the need for more complete studies by investigators who should assess the potential benefits of setting envir onmental standards for benzene in Mexico.