Benzene is a widespread environmental pollutant that has been associated with leukemia and various blood disorders. Prior reports have indicated an association between high-concentration benzene exposure and increased frequencies of sperm with chromosomal disomy, as well as sperm with chromosomal aberrations. Xing et al. (p. 833) investigated whether 33 men that were occupationally exposed to benzene had higher frequencies of sperm aneuploidy than 33 unexposed men and whether the relationship was dose-related. Sperm aneuploidy increased across low- and high-exposed groups for disomy X and overall hyperhaploidy for the three chromosomes investigated. There was also increased disomy X and hyperhaploidy in men exposed to ≤ 1 ppm benzene. The authors conclude that benzene appeared to increase the frequencies of aneuploid sperm for chromosomes associated with chromosomal abnormality syndromes, even in men whose air benzene exposure was at concentrations at or below the permissible exposure limit.
