Occupational differences in benzene-related biomarker levels beyond traditional industrial settings: findings from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey, 2015–2023
- 1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Chosun University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea
- 2Gwangju Branch of Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center, Gwangju, Korea
Abstract
Background: Benzene is a group 1 carcinogen, and urinary trans,trans-muconic acid is a key biomarker of benzene exposure. Whether specific occupational groups in Korea have higher benzene body burdens beyond environmental levels has not been systematically evaluated using national biomonitoring data with smoking-adjusted biomarkers.
Methods: We pooled adult data from three cycles (3rd–5th) of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS, 2015–2023; n = 10,786). Creatinine-adjusted urinary trans,trans-muconic acid (UttMACr) was analyzed across nine occupation groups using complex-samples general linear models with nested covariates. Sampling weights were rescaled within each cycle to harmonize weight scales across waves. Smoking was controlled using questionnaire-based variables and five-level creatinine-adjusted urinary cotinine (COTCr). Variance decomposition quantified predictors' contributions, and sensitivity analyses included COTCr-stratified models and analyses limited to the economically active population.
Results: Although population geometric mean UttMACr declined by 51% from the 3rd to 5th cycle, occupation remained a significant independent predictor after adjusting for temporal trends, smoking, demographic, and lifestyle covariates (ΔR² = 0.0018, p = 0.003). Cleaning/guard/elementary workers showed the highest elevation in the geometric mean ratio (GMR: 1.13; p < 0.001), followed by food/textile/other manufacturing (GMR: 1.12; p < 0.05) and chemical/metal/machinery manufacturing workers (GMR: 1.08; p < 0.05). COTCr-stratified analyses revealed occupation-specific patterns attenuated in pooled models: among participants with COTCr ≤ 1.0 μg/g creatinine, construction/mining (GMR: 1.62; p < 0.001) and agriculture/fishery (GMR: 1.41; p < 0.01) showed marked elevations.
Conclusions: Population UttMACr levels in Korea declined over time, but occupation-specific differences persisted after adjustment for trends, smoking, and sociodemographic factors. These findings suggest occupational benzene exposures may extend beyond traditionally recognized industrial settings and support more targeted biomonitoring, particularly for worker groups not routinely prioritized in current surveillance programs.
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BibTeX
@article{lee2026occupational,
title = {{Occupational differences in benzene-related biomarker levels beyond traditional industrial settings: findings from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey, 2015–2023}},
author = {Chul Gab Lee},
journal = {Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.35371/aoem.2026.38.e19},
url = {https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2026.38.e19},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Occupational differences in benzene-related biomarker levels beyond traditional industrial settings: findings from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey, 2015–2023
AU - Chul Gab Lee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/15
JO - Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
DO - 10.35371/aoem.2026.38.e19
UR - https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2026.38.e19
AB - Background: Benzene is a group 1 carcinogen, and urinary trans,trans-muconic acid is a key biomarker of benzene exposure. Whether specific occupational groups in Korea have higher benzene body burdens beyond environmental levels has not been systematically evaluated using national biomonitoring data with smoking-adjusted biomarkers. Methods: We pooled adult data from three cycles (3rd–5th) of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS, 2015–2023; n = 10,786). Creatinine-adjusted urinary trans,trans-muconic acid (UttMACr) was analyzed across nine occupation groups using complex-samples general linear models with nested covariates. Sampling weights were rescaled within each cycle to harmonize weight scales across waves. Smoking was controlled using questionnaire-based variables and five-level creatinine-adjusted urinary cotinine (COTCr). Variance decomposition quantified predictors' contributions, and sensitivity analyses included COTCr-stratified models and analyses limited to the economically active population. Results: Although population geometric mean UttMACr declined by 51% from the 3rd to 5th cycle, occupation remained a significant independent predictor after adjusting for temporal trends, smoking, demographic, and lifestyle covariates (ΔR² = 0.0018, p = 0.003). Cleaning/guard/elementary workers showed the highest elevation in the geometric mean ratio (GMR: 1.13; p < 0.001), followed by food/textile/other manufacturing (GMR: 1.12; p < 0.05) and chemical/metal/machinery manufacturing workers (GMR: 1.08; p < 0.05). COTCr-stratified analyses revealed occupation-specific patterns attenuated in pooled models: among participants with COTCr ≤ 1.0 μg/g creatinine, construction/mining (GMR: 1.62; p < 0.001) and agriculture/fishery (GMR: 1.41; p < 0.01) showed marked elevations. Conclusions: Population UttMACr levels in Korea declined over time, but occupation-specific differences persisted after adjustment for trends, smoking, and sociodemographic factors. These findings suggest occupational benzene exposures may extend beyond traditionally recognized industrial settings and support more targeted biomonitoring, particularly for worker groups not routinely prioritized in current surveillance programs.
SN - 2052-4374
ER -