Document VJMLbzzOnmz3nZ288q12yKmj4
Biological and Ambient-Monitoringof Benzene in the Workplace
Bernard D.Goldsteln.MD
reidtad question. presenting w r h p .yon mom dfm-
Culty. L. W h a t should b htd Ln th ~ ~ U O-011- D S
corning tbe dclidtlon of abnormal bioloqlal modtoring
data m d the ndoQLurJTtsrponu to ouch L tlndlng.
In the cu. of bonzeno. a m4or pmblem ia wing
1.bOrrtory tsrt.for m n h g m d mn.LU.na la t b t
them 1. not epsdflc ond uobt deflalttvo of h n e
hemataxicity. Xt f h t fa n o c e n u y todebmima tho brt.
to perfom. to decide boa oibn they &odd bo con-
ducted. and ta determino the b u s l h o nomtal vdusr.
Very often. these debrmLnatloru a m compliatud by the
frct that v e .re us- bstm h r public b d t b ntting
that vere rsdly designed for uu in a cllnlal rsttlng. A
related pmblern. prs+ent In w g exist- bioIoqld
monitoring progrutu. F. confusion between the M e r a n t
rtmfaqiea needed to fulflll two mepurts drm: the cltnl-
Blological monitoring of workers u a bo1 to debct early evldence of benzene toxicity has bean in w
a l l y orient4p rpprocch of detectlag persona r h o have b w n siqninantly ~ffecbdm. d the mora public hodth-
for close to brlf a c e n t u y . During this time. the work-
orient4 approreh of debcting subtle -c
in the
plrea s t a n d u d for expomure to krucaa hu bem made
work group u L wholo.
more rtrln6ent u evidence h u ~ccumulrt+dof itr h t
Moat d e r t h . from wortplrea e x p u r e to k w n e u e
,
matotoxic potency. It 1.mtfcipsted t h a t the new workplace standud k i q developed by tbc Occupstionrl
A result of scuta e f f m on the CNS. The neu+oxic eCTsctr of benzene B= very much like t h o u of rll other
Sdety and H e d t h Adminbtrrtioo (-HA) will decreue
dkylknzenes. Structure rctlvfty relstionshfp. molcc-. -
sIlowablc workplace level., perhap by M order of my-
d u t e i g b t . boiling poior. and other phyricochemid
nitude. from the current 10 ppm (time-weightsd average). Tbe dimculty in atablhhlnf 8workplsce s b n d u d la not only in d e b m r i d n g r b a t tho dlowable expoour, level should be. but w h a t scmenlng m d routine medial surveillmce should bo conducted for worterr wbo M ex& or r h o have t b e potential b k expond. A
c h u r c t a r b t i a can be invoked to explrln the rliqht differenesr in neurotoxic potencies of these tomporndo. However. of dl the r l l y l b e n z a n ~o.nly benzene d r m . q a bone m u m w and producea L hematologid ~ f f s c t ' ~
The hematological dirorderr ruocbbd with benzene M d a r l b d In t h e Tabla. AJtbowh o p h b ~dlffelr
about t h e rblllty of b a ~ n 8to U W w~mo Of then
d l o r d m n tbom i. tmmplota q m o m e a t tbrt beaxme
0U.y r p l d c a a o m l r Thh h u b o known riocr the
ohetaoath contury. B e ~ n roL0
amto mydo-
mnour Ioutomia (AML) and it. v u l r a t r . Iodudlal
o~ythroleukemiarad r variety of otbor 1eu)romiaa.BJI of
which Ilt under tho rubric of -to m y o l ~ a o u rI0uh-
mh.' The aviden- for thme 0ff.ct. is primVily hpm
opldemloloqiul m d cw otudloe. Myelo(Cenourlouhmia
Jaumal of OccupatJorul Medicine/Volume 28 No. 10/0ctober 1986
1052
whom baazaoe toxldty L. cluriy ovidont. lymphocyte-
penfa hu bean a ralrUvoly u r l y m d comiwt8nt !lad-
14.'' In rodent.. Iympboytoponh L tho u l l w t Pnd-
1 4 . occurring before ~ ~ l o c y ~ o p . p t "
A major problem witb m i 4 lympb0C)rbpenir u a
d t m a t k rld io tho br- d . g m of lnhorent e m r in
m e u u r l q total lymphocytam Mon tbo mud white
b i d cell differentid in which only 100 cello M
c0mt.d. A l y m p b o c p p r c e n t y . of batween So% and =%.for ox.mp~o, IO not impor+.nt to tbo ciiaictro.
Althougb r count of b l o w 10% may Impllah a vuioty
of d i u r . the nortad CIDC.rod tho loherent vuiabll-
ity in tbc count u o .Q
that it L not porrrble to we
thir prrrm.t.r In L progmm &nod at o u l y detectloo
of basatsne off-.
What mry bo of vduo b thow who plan u d driga
bat. for otudying workom o r p o u d b k n t a n o L that
automated oouotlo(: d d c w for tho r h l t o c r l J dlnoron-
W aOuLlt ue comlnr bb w. If 1.060 whit. blood ab
.
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