Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-7qhmt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T02:27:41.825Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Detrimental Health Effects of Benzene Exposure in Adults After a Flaring Disaster at the BP Refinery Plant in Texas City

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2016

Mark A. D’Andrea
Affiliation:
University Cancer and Diagnostic Centers, Houston, Texas.
G. Kesava Reddy*
Affiliation:
University Cancer and Diagnostic Centers, Houston, Texas.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to G. Kesava Reddy, PhD, MHA, University Cancer and Diagnostic Centers, 12811 Beamer Road, Houston, TX 77089 (e-mail: kreddy_usa@yahoo.com).

Abstract

Objective

To examine the adverse effects of benzene exposure in adults from a prolonged flaring disaster at the BP refinery in Texas City, Texas.

Methods

Adults aged 18 years and older who had been exposed and unexposed to benzene were included. We reviewed medical charts and compared measures of white blood cells (WBCs), platelets, hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate amino transferase (AST), and alanine amino transferase (ALT) in exposed and unexposed adults.

Results

Records from 2213 adults (benzene exposed, n=1826; unexposed, n=387) were reviewed. Benzene-exposed subjects had significantly higher WBC counts (7.9±2.3 vs 6.8±1.6×103 per µL, P=0.0000) and platelet counts (270.8±60.9 vs 242.5±53.7×103 per µL, P=0.0000) than did the unexposed subjects. Serum creatinine levels were also significantly higher in the exposed group than in the unexposed group (1.0±0.2 vs 0.8±0.2 mg/dL, P=0.000). Serum levels of ALP were significantly higher in the exposed subjects than in the unexposed subjects (82.1±15.6 vs 71.8±8.2 IU/L, P=0.000). Similarly, benzene-exposed subjects had significantly higher levels of AST (26.2±6.4 vs 19.7±5.3 IU/L, P=0.000) and ALT (30.6±10.8 vs 20.9±9.6 IU/L, P=0.000) than in those unexposed to benzene.

Conclusion

Benzene exposure resulted in significant alterations in hematologic and liver profiles in adults. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:233–239)

Type
Original Research
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Rothman, N, Smith, MT, Hayes, RB, et al. An epidemiologic study of early biologic effects of benzene in Chinese workers. Environ Health Perspect. 1996;104(suppl 6):1365-1370. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.961041365.Google Scholar
2. Wallace, L. Environmental exposure to benzene: an update. Environ Health Perspect. 1996;104(suppl 6):1129-1136. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.961041129.Google Scholar
3. Smith, MT. Advances in understanding benzene health effects and susceptibility. Annu Rev Public Health. 2010;31(1):133-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103646.Google Scholar
4. Snyder, R, Hedli, CC. An overview of benzene metabolism. Environ Health Perspect. 1996;104(suppl 6):1165-1171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.961041165.Google ScholarPubMed
5. Khalade, A, Jaakkola, MS, Pukkala, E, et al. Exposure to benzene at work and the risk of leukemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Health. 2010;9(1):31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-9-31.Google Scholar
6. Costantini, AS, Benvenuti, A, Vineis, P, et al. Risk of leukemia and multiple myeloma associated with exposure to benzene and other organic solvents: evidence from the Italian Multicenter Case-Control Study. Am J Ind Med. 2008;51(11):803-811. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20592.Google Scholar
7. Snyder, R. Overview of the toxicology of benzene. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2000;61(5-6):339-346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00984100050166334.Google Scholar
8. Marchetti, F, Eskenazi, B, Weldon, RH, et al. Occupational exposure to benzene and chromosomal structural aberrations in the sperm of Chinese men. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120(2):229-234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1103921.Google Scholar
9. Avis, SP, Hutton, CJ. Acute benzene poisoning: a report of three fatalities. J Forensic Sci. 1993;38(3):599-602. http://dx.doi.org/10.1520/JFS13444J.Google Scholar
10. Winek, CL, Collom, WD. Benzene and toluene fatalities. J Occup Med. 1971;13:259-261.Google Scholar
11. Dundarz, MR, Turkbay, T, Akay, C, et al. Antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in adolescents with inhalant abuse. Turk J Pediatr. 2003;45:43-45.Google Scholar
12. Dere, E, Ari, F. Effect of Benzene on liver functions in rats (Rattus norvegicus). Environ Monit Assess. 2009;154(1-4):23-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-008-0374-7.Google Scholar
13. Kotseva, K, Popov, T. Study of the cardiovascular effects of occupational exposure to organic solvents. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1998;71(suppl):S87-S91.Google Scholar
14. Baslo, A, Aksoy, M. Neurological abnormalities in chronic benzene poisoning. A study of six patients with aplastic anemia and two with preleukemia. Environ Res. 1982;27(2):457-465. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0013-9351(82)90100-1.Google Scholar
15. Mandiracioglu, A, Akgur, S, Kocabiyik, N, et al. Evaluation of neuropsychological symptoms and exposure to benzene, toluene and xylene among two different furniture worker groups in Izmir. Toxicol Ind Health. 2011;27(9):802-809. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0748233711399309.Google Scholar
16. ATSDR. Public Health Statement: Benzene. CAS#: 71-43-2. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp3-c1-b.pdf. Published August 2007. Accessed June 2014.Google Scholar
17. Whysner, J, Vijayaraj Reddy, M, Ross, PM, et al. Genotoxicity of benzene and its metabolites. Mutat Res. 2004;566(2):99-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1383-5742(03)00053-X.Google Scholar
18. Goldstein, BD. Benzene toxicity: a critical evaluation: hematotoxicity in humans. J Toxicol Environ Health Suppl . 1977;2:69-105.Google Scholar
19. Kim, S, Vermeulen, R, Waidyanatha, S, et al. Modeling human metabolism of benzene following occupational and environmental exposures. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006;15(11):2246-2252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-06-0262.Google Scholar
20. Evans L. BP’s 40-Day Emissions Event. http://www.propublica.org/documents/item/bps-40-day-emissions-event. Published June 4, 2010. Accessed June 2014.Google Scholar
22. Evans, L. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Investigation Report. Emissions Event (Incident No. 138052) Review on British Petroleum products, North America (Investigation No. 824714). 2010.Google Scholar
23. D’Andrea, MA, Reddy, GK. Adverse health effects of benzene exposure among children following a flaring incident at the British Petroleum refinery in Texas City. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2015 Aug 11 [Epub ahead of print].Google Scholar
24. D’Andrea, MA, Reddy, GK. Hematological and hepatic alterations in nonsmoking residents exposed to benzene following a flaring incident at the British petroleum plant in Texas City. Environ Health. 2014;13(1):115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-13-115.Google Scholar
25. D’Andrea, MA, Reddy, GK. Health effects of benzene exposure among children following a flaring incident at the British Petroleum Refinery in Texas City. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2014;31(1):1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/08880018.2013.831511.Google Scholar
26. D’Andrea, MA, Singh, O, Reddy, GK. Health consequences of involuntary exposure to benzene following a flaring incident at British Petroleum refinery in Texas City. Am J Disaster Med . 2013;8:169-179. http://dx.doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2013.0124.Google Scholar
27. Vlaanderen, J, Lan, Q, Kromhout, H, et al. Occupational benzene exposure and the risk of chronic myeloid leukemia: a meta-analysis of cohort studies incorporating study quality dimensions. Am J Ind Med. 2012;55(9):779-785. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22087.Google Scholar
28. McHale, CM, Zhang, L, Smith, MT. Current understanding of the mechanism of benzene-induced leukemia in humans: implications for risk assessment. Carcinogenesis. 2012;33(2):240-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgr297.Google Scholar
29. Nishikawa, T, Izumo, K, Miyahara, E, et al. Benzene induces cytotoxicity without metabolic activation. J Occup Health. 2011;53(2):84-92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1539/joh.10-002-OA.Google Scholar
30. Liu, C-S, Tsai, J-H, Kuo, S-W. Comparison of complete blood counts and urinary benzene metabolites after exposure to benzene. Mid Taiwan J Med. 2000;5:235-242.Google Scholar
31. Ray, MR, Roychoudhury, S, Mukherjee, S, et al. Occupational benzene exposure from vehicular sources in India and its effect on hematology, lymphocyte subsets and platelet P-selectin expression. Toxicol Ind Health. 2007;23(3):167-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0748233707080907.Google Scholar
32. McHale, CM, Zhang, L, Lan, Q, et al. Global gene expression profiling of a population exposed to a range of benzene levels. Environ Health Perspect. 2010;119(5):628-634. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1002546.Google Scholar
33. Avogbe, PH, Ayi-Fanou, L, Cachon, B, et al. Hematological changes among Beninese motor-bike taxi drivers exposed to benzene by urban air pollution. Afr J Environ Sci Technol. 2011;5:464-472.Google Scholar
34. Ceresa, C, Grazioli, C, Monteverde, A. On the behavior of thromboelastograms in rice-field leptospirosis [in Italian]. Minerva Med. 1960;51:3544-3552.Google Scholar
35. Aksoy, M, Dincol, K, Akgun, T, et al. Haematological effects of chronic benzene poisoning in 217 workers. Br J Ind Med. 1971;28:296-302.Google Scholar
36. Al-Helaly, LA, Ahmed, TY. Antioxidants and some biochemical parameters in workers exposed to petroleum station pollutants in Mosul City, Iraq. Int Res J Environ Sci. 2014;3:31-37.Google Scholar
37. Innerfield, F. Enzymes in Clinical Chemistry . New York, NY: McGraw Hill Publications; 1960.Google Scholar
38. Chang, WJ, Joe, KT, Park, HY, et al. The relationship of liver function tests to mixed exposure to lead and organic solvents. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2013;25(1):5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2052-4374-25-5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39. Mohammadi, S, Mehrparvar, A, Labbafinejad, Y, et al. The effect of exposure to a mixture of organic solvents on liver enzymes in an auto manufacturing plant. J Public Health. 2010;18(6):553-557. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10389-010-0340-z.Google Scholar
40. Perez, CA, Bosia, JD, Cantore, MS, et al. Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2006;29:334-337. http://dx.doi.org/10.1157/13089716.Google Scholar
41. Tomei, F, Giuntoli, P, Biagi, M, et al. Liver damage among shoe repairers. Am J Ind Med. 1999;36(5):541-547. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0274(199911)36:5<541::AID-AJIM6>3.0.CO;2-4.Google Scholar
42. Fernández-D’Pool, J, Oroño-Osorio, A. Liver function of workers occupationally exposed to mixed organic solvents in a petrochemical. Invest Clin. 2001;42:87-106.Google Scholar