Urban air background concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) were measured in 2007 in the Tricity area (Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot) and Tczew applying two types of passive samplers: Home-made permeation passive samplers and two diffusive passive samplers Orsa 5 (National Dräger) and Radiello (FS Maugeri). Differences between the time-weighted annual averages concentr...

OBJECTIVE To determine if non-elite athletes undertaking short duration running exercise adjacent to a busy roadway experience increased blood levels of common pollutant volatile organic compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX)). DESIGN AND SETTING The study was observational in design. Participants (nine males/one female non-elite athletes) ran for 20 min, near a busy road...

In Catalonia (northeast Spain), a monitoring program was carried out to determine methyl tert.-butyl ether (MTBE), its main degradation products, tert.-butyl alcohol (TBA), tert.-butyl formate (TBF), and other gasoline additives, the oxygenate dialkyl ethers ethyl tert.-butyl ether, tert.-amyl methyl ether and diisopropyl ether and the aromatic compounds benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylen...

Spatial monitoring campaigns of volatile organic compounds were carried out in two similarly sized urban industrial cities, Windsor and Sarnia, ON, Canada. For Windsor, data were obtained for all four seasons at approximately 50 sites in each season (winter, spring, summer, and fall) over a three-year period (2004, 2005, and 2006) for a total of 12 sampling sessions. Sampling in Sarnia took pla...

Atmospheric benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) can lead to multiple health injuries. However, what remains uncertain is the effect of long-term exposure to low levels of BTEX. Thus, we determined the BTEX levels in the air from the refueling and office areas in gas stations. Then we collected workers' (200 refueling vs. 52 office workers) peripheral blood samples to analyze the ...

Degradation of the BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-, m-, and p-xylenes) group of organopollutants by the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was studied. Our results show that the organism efficiently degrades all the BTEX components when these compounds are added either individually or as a composite mixture. Degradation was favored under nonligninolytic culture conditions...

In 1999, 275 poplar trees were planted on a field site near a car factory in order to install a bioscreen. The aim was to combine the biodegradation activities of poplar and its associated rhizosphere and endophytic microorganisms for containing a BTEX contaminated groundwater plume. This BTEX plume occurred as the result of leaking solvents and fuel storage tanks. Monitoring, conducted overa 6...

During two field campaigns in 1993 and 1994, measurements of aromatic compounds [benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-/p-/o-xylenes (BTEX)] were carried out at urban and rural sites in the greater Munich area. These field campaigns represent a unique study using quasi-continuous gas chromatography/flame ionization detection methods concurrently at various sites. The impact of Munich’s urban plume ...

A semi‒pilot-scale adsorption reactor was fabricated to remove a volatile organic compound (VOC) gases mixture (BTEX). Activated carbon (AC) immobilized by coating it on stainless steel plates using polyvinyl acetate (PVA) binder, and the open-pore structure maintained after process. Parallelly aligned coated with AC minimized decrease in pressure inducing smooth fluid flow high removal efficie...