The results of the analysis of blood and urine samples for styrene and its metabolites in 491 workers in a styrene polymerisation plant in the United States are reported. The levels of exposure to styrene were estimated to be less than 10 ppm, but nevertheless styrene and metabolites were detectable in more than 50% of workers in polymerisation jobs, within 4 h of exposure. Workers involved in ...

The yeast-like fungus Exophiala jeanselmei degrades styrene via initial oxidation of the vinyl side chain to phenylacetic acid, which is subsequently hydroxylated to homogentisic acid. The initial reactions are catalyzed by a NADPH- and flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent styrene monooxygenase, a styrene oxide isomerase, and a NAD(+)-dependent phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenase. The reduced CO-...

This study is the first step in the systematic investigation of substituted (carboxyl) polystyrene nanoparticles. Understanding the fundamental interactions between the p-carboxyl styrene monomers, where an ethyl group is used instead of a vinyl group (referenced, for convenience, as "p-carboxyl styrene"), provides the basic information needed to construct potentials for nanoparticles composed ...

Styrene is widely used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber, resins, polyesters and plastics. Styrene and the primary metabolite styrene-7,8-oxide are genotoxic and carcinogenic. Long-term chemical carcinogenesis bioassays showed that styrene caused lung cancers in several strains of mice and mammary cancers in rats and styrene-7,8-oxide caused tumours of the forestomach in rats and mice and ...

Styrene is one of the most important monomers produced worldwide. IARC classified styrene as a possible carcinogen to humans (group 2B). Styrene-7,8-oxide (SO) is the main reactive metabolite of styrene, and it is found to be genotoxic in several in vitro test systems. Styrene and styrene-7,8-oxide (SO) toxicity to HepG2 cells was investigated by evaluating end-points such as heat shock protein...

The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetic polymorphisms of CYP2E1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 and lifestyle habits (smoking, drinking, and exercise) modulate the levels of urinary styrene metabolites such as mandelic acid (MA) and phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA) after occupational exposure to styrene. We recruited 79 male workers who had received chronic exposure in styrene fiberglass-reinforce...

Currently, about 75% of Finnish reinforced polyester lamination workers are exposed to styrene concentrations exceeding the current occupational exposure limit of 20 ppm. Several measures have been proposed to control styrene exposure, but only a few of them are capable of keeping the styrene concentration below 20 ppm. The present study was carried out to evaluate current ventilation systems i...

In order to design a biocatalyst for the production of optically pure styrene oxide, an important building block in organic synthesis, the metabolic pathway and molecular biology of styrene degradation in Pseudomonas sp. strain VLB120 was investigated. A 5.7-kb XhoI fragment, which contained on the same strand of DNA six genes involved in styrene degradation, was isolated from a gene library of...

Styrene is a high production chemical; the production capacity for styrene in the United States was over 12 billion pounds in 2008. Small amounts of styrene are naturally present in foods such as legumes, beef, clams, eggs, nectarines, and spices. It can also be present in packaged foods by migration from polystyrene food containers and packaging materials. Styrene is a combustion product of ci...

Styrene is efficiently metabolized to styrene oxide, which is itself readily detoxified by the same enzymes as those involved in the metabolism of various foodstuffs. Styrene oxide, like many intermediate metabolites of foodstuffs, is genotoxic and, if introduced directly into the stomachs of rodents in high doses/concentrations, gives rise to cancers of the forestomach. Exposing mice to doses ...