Blood Concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds Among US Workers From Various Trades

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to examine blood benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, and m-/p-xylene (BTEX) concentrations and their trends contrasting construction workers with workers in other occupations from 1999 to 2014 in the United States. Methods: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, quantile regressions were performed to investigate associations between occupation and blood BTEX concentrations. Results: We found that high-risk and construction occupations were associated with increased blood concentrations of toluene, o-xylene, and m-/p-xylene at the 50–90th percentiles (P50–90), and ethylbenzene at P70–90. Moreover, although blood concentrations of ethylbenzene, o-xylene, and m-/p-xylene trended down among all US workers, no decreasing trend was observed for benzene and toluene among construction workers. Conclusions: Future studies are warranted to address questions about specific tasks to better assess VOC exposure from various trades.