The Evaluation of Exposure to Benzene among Children in Indoor Environments: A Review

• Main Authors: Ernie Syazween Junaidi, Juliana Jalaludin, Abdul Rohim Tualeka
• Format: Article PeerReviewed
• Language: English
• Published: Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2019
• Subjects: TD172-193.5 Environmental pollution
• Online Access: http://repository.unair.ac.id/93119/1/12%20The%20Evaluation%20of%20Exposure%20to%20Benzene%20among%20Children.pdf; http://repository.unair.ac.id/93119/; https://medic.upm.edu.my/jurnal_kami/malaysian_journal_of_medicine_and_health_sciences_mjmhs-9255
• Institution: Universitas Airlangga

Benzene has been measured in indoor environments for many decades and has been identified to cause variety of health effects. Children spend most of their time indoors such as daycare centre, preschool and school, they are more likely to be exposed to indoor air pollutants. This paper was aimed to review the exposure to benzene among children within indoor environments from worldwide studies from 2003 to 2018. Based on 24 papers evaluated, 54% were conducted in primary schools. The highest concentration of benzene was found in preschools in China at 148.0 µg/m3. The benzene levels were found higher in indoors than outdoors for most of the studies. Active sampling techniques were used in 42% of studies that enable the determination of acute health effects on children during short-period of exposure time. Differences in sampling techniques and durations make it hard to compare the outcomes of the studies with health-effect guidelines. This review indicated a diversity of sampling approaches and techniques, pointing to the importance of establishment of standard method for collecting and reporting data.