Benzene exposure in Helsinki, Finland

Personal exposures and microenvironmental concentrations of benzene were me asured in the residential indoor, residential outdoor and workplace environ ments for 201 participants in Helsinki, Finland, as a component of the EXPO LIS-Helsinki study. Median benzene personal exposures were 2.47 (arithmetic standard deviation (ASD) = 1.62) mug m(-3) for non-smokers, 2.89 (ASD = 3. 26) mug m(-3) for those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in any micro environment and 3.08 (ASD = 10.04) mug m(-3) for active smokers. Median res idential indoor benzene concentrations were 3.14(ASD = 1.51) mug m(-3) and 1.87 (ASD = 1.93) mug m(-3) for environments with and without tobacco smoke ; respectively. Median residential outdoor benzene concentrations were 1.51 (ASD = 1.1 1) mug m(-3) and median workplace benzene concentrations were 3 .58 (ASD = 1.96) mug m(-3) and 2.13 (ASD = 1.49) mug m(-3) for environments with and without tobacco smoke, respectively. Multiple step-wise regressio n identified indoor benzene concentrations as the strongest predictor for p ersonal benzene exposures of those not exposed to tobacco smoke, followed s equentially by time spent in a car, time in the indoor environment, indoor workplace concentrations and time in the home workshop. Relationships betwe en indoor and outdoor microenvironment concentrations and personal exposure s showed considerable variation between seasons, due to differences in vent ilation patterns of homes in these northern latitudes. Automobile use-relat ed activities were significantly associated with elevated benzene levels in personal and indoor measurements when tobacco smoke was not present, which demonstrates the importance of personal measurements in the assessment of exposure to benzene. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.