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Virginia M. Weaver,^1,2 Cecilia T. Davoli,^2,3 Patrick J. Heller,² Ailsa Fitzwilliam,¹ Howard L. Peters,¹ Jordi Sunyer,⁴ Sharon E. Murphy,⁵ Gary W. Goldstein,³ and John D. Groopman¹

¹Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA; ²Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA; ³Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA; ⁴Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205 and Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, IMIM, Barcelona, Spain; ⁵American Health Foundation, Valhalla, NY 10595 USA

Abstract
A pilot study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of using trans,trans-muconic acid (MA) as a biomarker of environmental benzene exposure. A secondary aim was to provide data on the extent of exposure to selected toxicants in a unique population consisting of inner-city children who were already overexposed to one urban hazard, lead. Potential sources of benzene were assessed by a questionnaire. Exposure biomarkers included urinary MA and cotinine and blood lead. Mean MA was 176.6 341.7 ng/mg creatinine in the 79 children who participated. A wide range of values was found with as many as 10.1%, depending on the comparison study, above the highest levels reported in adults not exposed by occupation. Mean MA was increased in children evaluated in the afternoon compared to morning, those at or above the median for time spent playing near the street, and those studied in the first half of the investigation. MA levels were not associated with blood lead or, consistently, with either questionnaire environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) data or cotinine. As expected, the mean blood lead level was elevated (23.6 g/dl) . Mean cotinine was also increased at 79.2 ng/mg creatinine. We conclude that the use of MA as a biomarker for environmental benzene exposure is feasible since it was detectable in 72% of subjects with a wide range of values present. In future studies, correlation of MA with personal air sampling in environmental exposure will be essential to fully interpret the significance of these findings. In addition, these inner-city children comprise a high risk group for exposure to environmental toxicants including ETS, lead, and probably benzene, based on questionnaire sources and its presence in ETS. Key words: biological monitoring, biomarkers, cotinine, environmental benzene exposure, trans, trans-muconic acid, urban pollution. Environ Health Perspect 104:318-323 (1996)

Address correspondence to V. Weaver, Division of Occupational Health, Room 7041, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.

We would like to thank the children and parents who participated in this study. We are also grateful to the staff of the Kennedy Krieger Institute Lead Poisoning Prevention Clinic for their support and assistance in this project and to Alvaro Muñoz for his thoughtful comments on the manuscript. Financial support for this research was provided by USPHS Grant P01 ES06052 and NIEHS Center Grant 5P30ES03819. Salary support for Virginia Weaver is provided by the Ho-Ching Yang Memorial Faculty Fellowship in Cancer Prevention. Howard Peters was a student in the Society of Toxicology Summer Internship Program and was supported, in part, by T32ES07141.

Received 8 May 1995 ; accepted 24 November 1995.