Health Risk Assessment of Occupational Exposure to BTEX Compounds in the Industrial Offset Printing Sector: A Combined Environmental and Biological Monitoring Approach

Amir Masoud  Ansari; Somayeh Farhang  Dehghan; Zahra  Khodoumi; Davoud  Panahi

doi:10.18502/jehsd.v11i1.21168

Amir Masoud Ansari Student Research committee,Department of Occupational Health and safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Somayeh Farhang Dehghan Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Zahra Khodoumi Department of Industrial Safety Engineering, Caspian University, Qazvin, Iran.
Davoud Panahi Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jehsd.v11i1.21168

Keywords: Occupational Exposure; Volatile Organic Compounds; Health Risk Assessment; Biological Monitoring; Benzene.

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational exposure to the BTEX compounds (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene) in the printing industry is a major health concern due to their established carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic toxicity. This study aimed to quantify respiratory exposure, assess the internal biological dose, and determine the associated carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks using the US-EPA methodology.

Methods: This cross-sectional study monitored 23 occupationally exposed printing workers and 23 unexposed administrative staff (control group). Personal respiratory air sampling was conducted for BTEX (NIOSH 1501/GC), and end-of-shift urine samples were collected for biological monitoring of t,t-MA (Benzene metabolite) and Hippuric Acid (Toluene metabolite) using HPLC. Health risks were calculated using the EPA guidelines for the Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Lifetime Cancer Risk (LCR).

Results: The Mean BTEX concentrations were high, notably toluene (47.17±52.03 ppm) and xylene (45.12±68.41 ppm) were markedly elevated. Biological monitoring revealed statistically significant differences between the groups (p < 0.001); the mean t,t-MA level in the exposed group was 51,809.37 µg/g creatinine compared to 265.75 µg/g creatinine in the control group. Risk assessment indicated critical non-carcinogenic risks, with HQs for Xylene (230.06), Benzene (16.43), and Toluene (8.35) far exceeding the safety threshold of 1. The mean LCR for Benzene was 7.8×10⁻³, significantly surpassing the EPA acceptable limit of 10^-6.

Conclusion: Chronic BTEX exposure in this printing facility significantly exceeded the permissible occupational limits, resulting in substantial non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Immediate intervention through engineering controls and comprehensive revision of safety standards is urgently required to protect worker health.