Wheeler Amanda J, Wong Suzy L, Khouri Cheryl, Zhu Jiping
Water, Air and Climate Change Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
Health Rep. 2013 May;24(5):11-7.
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-, p-xylenesand o-xylene (BTEX) are a group of volatile organic compounds that originate from similar sources. Given the potentially negative health implications of BTEX exposure and their prevalence in residential indoor air, it is important to understand typical residential concentrations and identify predictors.
The 2009 to 2011 Canadian Health Measures Survey included an indoor air component. Questionnaires were administered, and respondents were asked to deploy an air sampler in their home for 7 consecutive days. This analysis is based on BTEX data from 5,191 respondents. Mean BTEX concentrations were examined overall, and by dwelling type and garage configuration. Stepwise regression models were used to examine potential sources of BTEX components.
Means were 1.95 μg/m³ (benzene), 19.17 μg/m³ (toluene), 4.09 μg/m³ (ethylbenzene), 14.42 μg/m³ (m-, p-xylenes), and 4.16 μg/m³ (o-xylene). Significant predictors of the presence of BTEX included a garage on the property, regular smoking in the home, renovations in the past month, number of occupants, use of paint remover, and use of fragrance.
Results of this nationally representative study found that BTEX concentrations are relatively low among Canadian residences, and identified several different indoor sources.
苯、甲苯、乙苯以及间二甲苯、对二甲苯和邻二甲苯（BTEX）是一组源自相似来源的挥发性有机化合物。鉴于接触BTEX对健康可能产生负面影响，且它们在住宅室内空气中普遍存在，了解典型的住宅浓度并确定预测因素很重要。
2009年至2011年的加拿大健康措施调查包含室内空气部分。进行了问卷调查，并要求受访者在其家中连续7天部署空气采样器。本分析基于5191名受访者的BTEX数据。总体上以及按住宅类型和车库配置检查了BTEX的平均浓度。使用逐步回归模型检查BTEX成分的潜在来源。
平均浓度分别为1.95μg/m³（苯）、19.17μg/m³（甲苯）、4.09μg/m³（乙苯）、14.42μg/m³（间二甲苯、对二甲苯）和4.16μg/m³（邻二甲苯）。BTEX存在的显著预测因素包括房产上有车库、家中经常吸烟、过去一个月进行过装修、居住人数、使用脱漆剂以及使用香水。
这项具有全国代表性的研究结果发现，加拿大住宅中的BTEX浓度相对较低，并确定了几种不同的室内来源。
