Investigating the variation of benzene and 1,3 butadiene in the UK during 2000–2020

Abstract

The concentrations of benzene and 1,3-butadiene in urban, suburban, and rural sites of the U.K. were investigated across 20 years (2000–2020) to assess the impacts of pollution control strategies. Given the known toxicity of these pollutants, it is necessary to investigate national long-term trends across a range of site types. We conclude that whilst legislative intervention has been successful in reducing benzene and 1,3-butadiene pollution from vehicular sources, previously overlooked sources must now be considered as they begin to dominate in contribution to ambient pollution. Benzene concentrations in urban areaswere found to be ~5-fold greater than those in rural areas,whilst 1,3-butadiene concentrations were up to ~10-fold greater.

Description

Keywords

Cancer, Benzene, Butadiene, Petroleum, United Kingdom

Citation

Holland, R. et al. (2022). Investigating the variation of benzene and 1,3 butadiene in the UK during 2000–2020. nternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 11904. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911904