Urine trans,trans-muconic acid determination for monitoring of benzene exposure in mechanics.

Benzene is an important carcinogenic substance used in many industrial processes. Inhalation of this substance can cause both acute and chronic toxicity. In this study, monitoring of benzene exposure by high-performance liquid chromatography for urine trans,trans-muconic acid (ttMA) determination in 94 subjects, (49 control subjects and 45 mechanics) was performed. The mean urine ttMA level in the control group was 0.116 +/- 0.027 mg/g creatinine. The mean urine ttMA level in the mechanics group was 0.280 +/- 0.131 mg/g creatinine. There was a significant difference between the groups (p < 0.05). Based on this study, we recommend the use of urine ttMA determination for monitoring of benzene exposure in high risk workers.