Long-Term Exposure to Low Concentrations of Ambient Benzene and Mortality in a National English Cohort

Background: Benzene affects human health through environmental exposure in addition to occupational contact. However, few studies have examined the associations between long-term exposure to low concentrations of ambient benzene and mortality risks in nonoccupational settings.Methods: This prospective cohort study consists of 393,042 participants without stroke, myocardial infarction, or cancer at baseline from the UK Biobank. Annual average concentrations of benzene for each year during follow-up were measured using air dispersion models. The main outcomes were all-cause mortality and mortality from specific causes. Cox proportional-hazards models with time-varying exposure measurements were used to estimate the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality risks. Restricted cubic spline models were used to estimate exposure-response relationships.Measurements and Main Results: With each interquartile range increase in the average annual concentration of benzene, the adjusted hazard ratios of mortality risk from all causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease were 1.26 (95% CI, 1.24-1.27), 1.24 (95% CI, 1.21-1.28), 1.27 (95% CI, 1.25-1.29), and 1.25 (95% CI, 1.20-1.30), respectively. The monotonically increasing exposure-response curves showed no threshold and plateau within the observed concentration range. Furthermore, the effect of benzene exposure on mortality persisted across different subgroups and was somewhat stronger in younger and White people (P for interaction < 0.05).Conclusions: Long-term exposure to low concentrations of ambient benzene significantly increases mortality risk in the general population. Ambient benzene represents a potential threat to public health, and further investigations are needed to support timely pollution regulation and health protection.

Errataetall:

CommentIn: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 Apr 15;209(8):905-906. - PMID 38301235

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:209

Enthalten in:

American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine - 209(2024), 8 vom: 15. Apr., Seite 987-994

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Wang, Jianing [VerfasserIn]
Ma, Yudiyang [VerfasserIn]
Tang, Linxi [VerfasserIn]
Li, Dankang [VerfasserIn]
Xie, Junqing [VerfasserIn]
Sun, Yu [VerfasserIn]
Tian, Yaohua [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Air Pollutants
Benzene
Cohort study
J64922108F
Journal Article
Long-term exposure
Mortality
Particulate Matter

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 16.04.2024

Date Revised 16.04.2024

published: Print

CommentIn: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 Apr 15;209(8):905-906. - PMID 38301235

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1164/rccm.202308-1440OC

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM366191993