Study dataset for 01-06-JHU Health Risk Characterization for Transport Workers and Users

We conducted an exposure assessment for consumers to characterize benzene (and other volatile organic compounds) exposure associated with vehicle refueling using modern sampling and analysis methodologies. The consumer exposure assessment data were extended to an occupational setting by developing worker exposure scenarios to estimate excess risk values for gasoline service station attendants and pump attendants. The risk assessment results for the consumers were then put in a holistic health context including an analysis of other individual, community, and socio-economic factors (a cumulative risk characterization). While benzene exposure during refueling was not a major cancer contributor, cancer risk was found to be a concern due to exposures to ambient air toxics. Transportation-related sources contributed to four of the five top air toxic carcinogens identified. Cancer is a major cause of death in all participant communities and half of the study participants resided in communities where challenging socio-economic conditions have potential to increase cancer mortality overall and reduce survival times for cancer patients. This cumulative risk characterization found cancer risk to be a concern in both the ambient environmental and community settings suggesting a management approach targeting both the exposure and community context. This work met four main objectives: 1) design and implement a novel self-sampling protocol for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene exposures to consumers during vehicle refueling; 2) estimate cancer risk to consumers from the measured benzene exposures; 3) evaluate potential cancer risk for pump attendants in an occupational scenario building on the consumer data; and 4) develop a cumulative risk characterization for the consumers combining the cancer risk assessment findings with ambient environmental exposures to benzene and other air toxics, personal psychosocial, and community socio-economic and health data from both primary and secondary sources.