Carcinogenic and Non-carcinogenic Risk Assessment of Exposure of Housewives to Volatile Organic Compounds (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes) in the Indoor Air of Houses

The concentration of some indoor pollutants is often recognized as higher than that in the outdoor. Accordingly, household air pollution is currently considered one of the most important public health concerns worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) pollutants in the air of houses in Khesht, Fars Province, Iran. Moreover, it was attempted to evaluate the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of these compounds in respiratory air for housewives.

Air samples were taken from 30 houses according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Manual of Analytical Method no. 1501 and were analyzed using the gas chromatography/flame ionization detector to measure BTEX  compounds. In addition, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of target compounds in respiratory air for housewives during one year were assessed in this study. Mann Whitney U and Spearman correlation tests were applied to analyze the data in SPSS software (version 23). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

 According to the results, the benzene, toluene, and xylenes concentrations varied from 0.06 to 1.76, 0.1 to 0.96, and 0.01 to 0.97 µg / m3, respectively. Moreover, ethylbenzene levels in all samples were below the detection limit. A significant linear and positive relationship was observed between benzene and toluene concentrations (P<0.05). Furthermore, the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk for benzene in all samples was reported to be significantly lower than the standard (1×10-6) recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, the calculated hazard quotient for benzene, toluene, and xylene was less than one in this study.

The WHO has not considered any safe restrictions on exposure to benzene, especially indoors in which people spend more time. However, even the low concentrations of these indoor pollutants are dangerous to human health, especially housewives. Therefore, in order to reduce the concentration of these pollutants and other BTEX compounds, it is recommended to reduce or eliminate those human activities that release BTEX compounds and use appropriate ventilation methods.