The ability of the murine erythron to respond to hemolytic doses of phenylhydrazine is significantly impaired by exposures to 10 ppm benzene

Benzene--a review of the literature from a health effects perspective

A literature review of the impact on human health of exposure to benzene was conducted. Special emphasis in this report is given to the health effects reported in excess of national norms by participants in the Benzene Subregistry of the National Exposure Registry--people having documented exposure to benzene through the use of benzene-contaminated water for domestic purposes. The health effects reported in excess (p < or = .01) by some or all of the sex and age groups studied were diabetes, kidney disease, respiratory allergies, skin rashes, and urinary tract disorders; anemia was also increased for females, but not significantly so.

Short term benzene exposure provides a growth advantage for granulopoietic progenitor cells over erythroid progenitor cells

Because chronic benzene exposure is associated with acute myeloblastic leukemia and other myeloproliferative disorders, we sought to determine whether short-term benzene exposure provides a growth advantage for granulopoietic elements over erythropoietic elements. Groups of male DBA/2J mice were exposed to 0, 10, 30, or 100 ppm benzene (6 h/day for 5 days). One day and 5 days after the benzene exposures, the numbers of the two most primitive erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E and CFU-E) and the numbers of the most primitive granulocytic progenitor cells (GM-CFU-C) were assessed. Additional groups of mice were given hemolytic doses of phenylhydrazine (PHZ) during the 5 days of benzene exposure, while other groups of mice were given PHZ during the 5 days of recovery from benzene exposure. These experiments were designed to determine the effects of benzene exposure on progenitor cell numbers during periods of markedly heightened erythropoiesis. The results demonstrate that short-term benzene exposure does induce a growth advantage for granulocytic cells in both the bone marrow and spleen of exposed mice. Moreover, a benzene-induced shift toward granulopoiesis is observed even in those mice treated with a powerful erythropoietic stimulus. These effects disappear 5 days after cessation of benzene exposure in the bone marrow but persist in the spleen of mice treated with phenylhydrazine.