Benzene risk assessment: does new evidence on myelodysplastic syndrome justify a new approach?

AbstractEpidemiologic findings play an important role in benzene risk assessment, which is utilized to guide the selection of recommended benzene exposure levels to prevent adverse health effects. For decades, excess leukemia risk, especially that in the Pliofilm® cohort, has been the focus of benzene risk assessment. While more stringent benzene standards, often ≤1 ppm, have been promulgated to protect workers from developing leukemia, recent epidemiologic studies have reported elevated risk of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This report aims to examine whether the use of new data on MDS is scientifically warranted in future benzene risk assessments. First, we reviewed current benzene guidelines, regulations, and underlying risk assessments in developed countries. Second, we examined current epidemiologic literature on benzene and MDS, which identified seven studies with simultaneous measures of MDS risk and benzene exposure and 17 studies on MDS in populations potentially exposed to benzene. Next, we ex...