Assessment of health risks of university professors through exposure to BTEX compounds from white board markers

This case-control study aimed to investigate the health risks faced by university professors as a result of using whiteboard markers. The study included 30 professors who used the whiteboard markers for teaching and 20 professors who used other teaching aids. Samples of urine and breathing air were collected from the participants, and then analyzed in the laboratory using gas chromatography (GC) to measure the concentrations of BTEX compounds. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of these compounds were assessed using a probabilistic method. The mean concentrations (ug/L) of compounds in the urine differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the case and control groups for benzene (82.59 vs. 65.36), toluene (128.47 vs. 85.65), and ethylbenzene (9.09 vs. 25.16). The mean lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) for benzene (8.27 × 10^-8) and ethylbenzene (9.38 × 10^-8) as well as the non-carcinogenic risk of all compounds in the control group were below the acceptable limit. Due to the higher concentration of compounds in the urine of the case group compared to the control group, it is essential to utilize alternative teaching methods in educational settings instead of traditional whiteboards and chemical markers.