Effects of short and long-term exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in indoor environment air on human health: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sedighe  Afrasiabi; Marzieh Fatahi  Darglu; Younes  Mohammadi; Mostafa  Leili

doi:10.18502/japh.v9i4.17653

Sedighe Afrasiabi Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
Marzieh Fatahi Darglu Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Younes Mohammadi Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Mostafa Leili Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/japh.v9i4.17653

Keywords: Short-term effect; Long-term effect; Indoor air pollution; Seytematic review; Meta analysis

Abstract

Today, because of the increasing level of people's need to improve well- being in social and individual life, air pollutants have been released that have Pollution harms both human health and the environment. This research examined Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes (BTEX) levels in indoor air across different global locations from 1963 to 2023. The investigation employed both; a systematic review and meta-analysis method. The health risks associated with long and short-terms exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were assessed. That average concentration benzene was 23.07 μg⁄m³, toluene was 131.60, ethylbenzene was 28.91, and xylene was 63.87. Also, the health risk assessment based on a 95% confidence level showed that the pollutants in question play a role in causing diseases such as lung neoplasm, stomach neoplasm, colon neoplasm, liver neoplasm, headache, dizziness, nausea, insomnia, etc. Consequently, it is crucial to implement stringent measures aimed at lowering the levels of these contaminants in indoor spaces.