Hematotoxicity and expression of genes involved in hematological malignancies in Mexican children environmentally exposed to benzene

There is growing evidence that environmental benzene exposure is a risk factor for developing some hematological disorders, leukemia included. The aim of this study was to assess the variation in mRNA expression of a regulatory set of hematopoietic genes in children exposed to benzene and hematological parameters. In this study, 67 healthy children between the ages of 3 and 12 voluntarily participated. Trans,trans-muconic acid was analyzed in urine samples using high-performance liquid chromatography, and gene expression of AhR, BCL2, CD38, PTEN, and RUNX1 was assessed in blood samples by RT-qPCR. We observed elevated benzene exposure levels (GM = 326.3 ± 42.3 µg/g creatinine), with 20% of children exceeding the occupational threshold of 500 µg/g creatinine. Additionally, benzene exposure was significantly associated with RUNX1 mRNA expression (r = 0.27, p < 0.05). Our finding show that benzene could contribute to hematopoietic effects developed in highly exposed children. These results highlight the necessity of implementing environmental policies aim at reducing benzene exposure in children.