Electronic noses for monitoring benzene occupational exposure in biological samples of Egyptian workers

• Authors: Ehab I. Mohamed , Gihane I. Khalil , Samir M. Abdel-Mageed , Amani M. Bayoumi , Heba S. Ramadan , Metwally A. Kotb

Abstracts

EN

Objectives: Benzene is commonly emitted in several industries, leading to widespread environmental and occupational exposure hazards. While less toxic solvents have been substituted for benzene, it is still a component of petroleum products and is a trace impurity in industrial products resulting in continued higher occupational exposures in industrial settings in developing countries. Materials and Methods: We investigated the potential use of an electronic nose (e-nose) to monitor the headspace volatiles in biological samples from benzene-exposed Egyptian workers and non-exposed controls. The study population comprised 150 non-smoking male workers exposed to benzene and an equal number of matching non-exposed controls. We determined biomarkers of benzene used to estimate exposure and risk including: benzene in exhaled air and blood; and its urinary metabolites such as phenol and muconic acid using gas chromatography technique and a portable e-nose. Results: The average benzene concentration measured in the ambient air of the workplace of all studied industrial settings in Alexandria, Egypt; was 97.56±88.12 μg/m³ (range: 4.69–260.86 μg/m³). Levels of phenol and muconic acid were signifi cantly (p < 0.001) higher in both blood and urine of benzene-exposed workers as compared to non-exposed controls. Conclusions: The e-nose technology has successfully classifi ed and distinguished benzene-exposed workers from non-exposed controls for all measured samples of blood, urine and the exhaled air with a very high degree of precision. Thus, it will be a very useful tool for the low-cost mass screening and early detection of health hazards associated with the exposure to benzene in the industry.

Keywords

EN

phenol; muconic acid; exhaled air; blood; urine; principal component analysis

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 165-172

Dates

published

2013

Contributors

author

Ehab I. Mohamed

• Medical Biophysics Department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

author

Gihane I. Khalil

• Chemical Pathology Department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

author

Samir M. Abdel-Mageed

• Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

author

Amani M. Bayoumi

• Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

author

Heba S. Ramadan

• Medical Biophysics Department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

author

Metwally A. Kotb

• Medical Biophysics Department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s13382-013-0086-2

Biblioteka Nauki

2179801