Evaporative Gasoline Emissions and Asthma Symptoms

Mary Ellen Gordian, Alistair W. Stewart and Stephen S. Morris

Dr. Mary Ellen Gordian is a public health physician and recently retired associate professor of environmental health in UAA's Institute of Social and Economic Research. She and her research team conducted a successful pilot study of 84 homes a few years ago. They recruited 509 households from approximately 1,700 to measure indoor air benzene in their homes and complete health and household surveys. The findings are in a report prepared for the Municipality of Anchorage in June 2009 and titled "Health Effects of Indoor-Air Benzene in Anchorage Residences: a Study of Indoor-Air Quality in Houses with Attached Garages." That full report can be read in PDF format at www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Publications/Indoor_Air_Study.pdf.

Gordian's latest research was of approximately 70 homes with attached garages in which monthly measurements of benzene was taken. The study determined what factors contribute to the varying levels of fumes inside the houses and how much indoor air pollution varies with seasons. As explained in the abstract of the latest paper for this research: Attached garages are known to be associated with indoor air volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study looked at indoor exposure to VOCs presumably from evaporative emissions of gasoline. Alaskan gasoline contains 5 percent benzene making benzene a marker for gasoline exposure. A survey of randomly chosen houses with attached garages was done in Anchorage to determine the exposure and assess respiratory health. Householders were asked to complete a health survey for each person and a household survey. They monitored indoor air in their primary living space for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes for one week using passive organic vapor monitoring badges. Benzene levels in homes ranged from undetectable to 58 parts per billion. The median benzene level in 509 homes tested was 2.96 ppb. Elevated benzene levels in the home were strongly associated with small engines and gasoline stored in the garage. High concentrations of benzene in gasoline increase indoor air levels of benzene in residences with attached garages exposing people to benzene at levels above ATSDR's minimal risk level. Residents reported more severe symptoms of asthma in the homes with high gasoline exposure (16 percent) where benzene levels exceeded the 9 ppb. This paper is published in Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2010, 7(8), 3051-3062. To read the full text, visit www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/7/8/3051/. <!--EndFragment-->