Chatzis Christos, Alexopoulos Evangelos C, Linos Athena
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Athens Medical School, Greece.
Sci Total Environ. 2005 Oct 15;349(1-3):72-80. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.01.034. Epub 2005 Apr 15.
To evaluate the exposure of urban inhabitants to atmospheric benzene in Athens, Greece.
Fifty non-smoker volunteers from selected occupational groups and their homes were monitored by passive air samplers for six 5-day periods during a year. An activity diary was completed during each sampling period and relevant data were collected by a questionnaire at the beginning of the study. Additional data on urban levels on benzene were also available.
Average benzene home and personal levels in six monitoring campaigns varied between 6.0-13.4 and 13.1-24.6 microg/m(3), respectively. Urban levels varied between 15.4 and 27.9 microg/m(3) with an annual mean of 20.4 microg/m(3). Wind speed seems to determine largely home levels and personal exposure. Proximity to busy road holds also an important influence on indoor benzene levels. Adjusted for seasonal or climate variation, other significant prognostic factors of personal exposure were home levels, total time spent outdoors and transportation mean. Time spent outdoors explains the strong relationship between occupation and personal levels of exposure. Wind had similar effect in clearing indoor and urban pollution in Athens; lessen personal exposure and home levels about 2-2.5 microg/m(3) per 1 m/s increase in speed.
Factors related to climate (use of non-absorbent materials for wall and floor covering and frequent ventilation) might be one explanation for homes' high clearing rate. Our exposure pattern, which suggests that outdoors work give the greater contribution to benzene exposure of Athens citizens, is uncommon in northern towns of Europe. Policy makers have to take in account these differences in establishing guidelines for ambient benzene exposure.
评估希腊雅典城市居民对大气苯的暴露情况。
在一年中的六个为期5天的时间段内，通过被动空气采样器对来自选定职业群体及其家庭的50名不吸烟志愿者进行监测。在每个采样期间完成一份活动日记，并在研究开始时通过问卷收集相关数据。还可获得有关城市苯水平的其他数据。
在六次监测活动中，家庭和个人苯的平均水平分别在6.0 - 13.4微克/立方米和13.1 - 24.6微克/立方米之间变化。城市水平在15.4至27.9微克/立方米之间变化，年平均水平为20.4微克/立方米。风速似乎在很大程度上决定了家庭水平和个人暴露情况。靠近繁忙道路对室内苯水平也有重要影响。经季节性或气候变化调整后，个人暴露的其他重要预后因素是家庭水平、在户外花费的总时间和交通方式。在户外花费的时间解释了职业与个人暴露水平之间的密切关系。风对清除雅典室内和城市污染有类似作用；风速每增加1米/秒，个人暴露和家庭水平降低约2 - 2.5微克/立方米。
与气候相关的因素（使用非吸收性材料进行墙面和地面覆盖以及频繁通风）可能是家庭清除率高的一个原因。我们的暴露模式表明户外工作对雅典市民的苯暴露贡献更大，这在欧洲北部城镇并不常见。政策制定者在制定环境苯暴露指南时必须考虑到这些差异。
