February 2008
Benzene in Diesel Exhaust
Our Challenge
- Benzene emissions through auto and industrial air is the second leading source of benzene exposure.
- Railroad workers were thought to be exposed historically to benzene while working in roundhouses.
Our Approach
- We investigated airborne benzene concentrations under simulated worst-case exposure conditions in a 100 year old roundhouse.
Our Findings
- Observed concentration were a fraction of the OSHA occupational exposure limits.
- The results indicated that exposures were about 200-fold less than those associated with smoking cigarettes for 40 years.