Benzene Metabolism in Rodents at Doses Relevant to Human Exposure from Urban Air

Drs Turteltaub and Mani at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory investigated benzene metabolism in rodents over a large dose range that encompassed concentrations close to those of human ambient exposure. Understanding benzene metabolism at low exposure levels is critical to benzene assessment to determine the shape of the dose-response curve at low concentrations.The investigators administered radioactive benzene to mice and rats and subsequently analyzed bone marrow, liver, urine, and plasma from these animals. In most experiments, the investigators injected animals intraperitoneally with ¹⁴C-labeled benzene, but in some experiments they exposed animals to radioactive benzene via inhalation.