Spatial characteristics of urinary BTEX concentrations in the general population
Date
2017Source
ChemosphereVolume
173Pages
261-266Google Scholar check
Keyword(s):
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m-, and p-xylenes (BTEX) are ubiquitous outdoor and indoor air pollutants associated with both environmental and health effects. The objective of this exploratory study was to determine the magnitude and variability of urinary BTEX levels among residents of two areas located in the same city (Nicosia, Cyprus). The two areas differed with respect to their proximity to an industrial cluster and an intercity-highway. First morning urine voids were collected during a random campaign from selected households in the two urban areas (n = 48). Urinary BTEX measurements were obtained using headspace solid phase micro extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The majority of participants were females (65%) and non-smokers (85%) with a mean age of 49 years. Median urinary BTEX levels were: 118 ng L−1, 124 ng L−1, 9 ng L−1, 29 ng L−1and 28 ng L−1for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, (p + m)-xylene and o-xylene, respectively. With the exception of benzene, participants from area 2 (closer to the industrial cluster and an intercity road than area 1) had significantly (p < 0.05) higher urinary BTEX levels than those from area 1 (regression analysis). The residence location (in area 2) was the sole significant (p < 0.05) predictor of urinary BTEX levels after adjusting for sex, smoking, age, body mass index, and educational level. This observational study showed differences in BTEX exposures between two urban areas of the same city. This baseline BTEX dataset may prove useful for future activities of natural gas extraction and handling nearby urban settings. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Collections
Cite as
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Book
Can cross-border pollution reduce pollution?
Hatzipanayotou, Panos; Lahiri, Sajal; Michael, Michael S. (2000)
-
Article
Can cross-border pollution reduce pollution?
Hatzipanayotou, Panos; Lahiri, Sajal; Michael, Michael S. (2002)We develop a two-country model of foreign aid and cross-border pollution resulting from production activities in the recipient country. There is both private and public abatement of pollution, the latter being financed ...
-
Article
Cross-border pollution, public pollution abatement and capital tax competition
Hadjiyiannis, Costas; Hatzipanayotou, Panos; Michael, Michael S. (2014)We analyze the case where governments have to use income tax revenue to finance public pollution abatement and relate the results to the existing literature on capital tax competition. We show that the impact of public ...