Table 5.
Community concerns and linear predictors of blood benzene level among participants with blood 2,5-dimethylfuran < 0.014 ngm/L (n=418)
| Predictor | N | β (95% CI) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Women | 116 | −0.27 (−0.49, −0.05) | 0.02 |
| Men | 302 | Ref | ||
| Time away from home | ≥ 8 hours | 176 | −0.33 (−0.53, −0.13) | 0.001 |
| < 8 hours | 242 | Ref | ||
| Required support | Yes | 110 | 0.19 (−0.04, 0.42) | 0.10 |
| No | 308 | Ref | ||
| Lived near waste site | Yes | 6 | 0.75 (−0.09, 1.58) | 0.08 |
| No | 412 | Ref | ||
| Season | Fall/Winter | 373 | −0.54 (−0.86, −0.21) | 0.001 |
| Spring/Summer | 45 | Ref | ||
| Smoky/chemical smells | Yes | 8 | 0.64 (−0.08, 1.35) | 0.08 |
| No | 410 | Ref | ||
| Home construction | Yes | 29 | 0.39 (0.001, 0.78) | 0.05 |
| No | 389 | Ref | ||
|
| ||||
| DWH response worker | Yes | 348 | −0.12 (−0.38, 0.15) | 0.40 |
| No | 70 | Ref | ||
| Seafood | Yes | 52 | −0.17 (−0.47, 0.13) | 0.26 |
| No | 366 | Ref | ||
| Well water | Yes | 21 | −0.09 (−0.55, 0.36) | 0.69 |
| No | 397 | Ref | ||
| State | Florida | 111 | Ref | |
| Alabama | 116 | 0.10 (−0.18, 0.37) | 0.49 | |
| Mississippi | 75 | −0.01 (−0.31, 0.30) | 0.96 | |
| Louisiana | 116 | 0.20 (−0.08, 0.48) | 0.15 | |
| Age, years | <30 | 69 | Ref | |
| 30–50 | 204 | 0.08 (−0.21, 0.37) | 0.59 | |
| >50 | 145 | 0.10 (−0.21, 0.42) | 0.51 | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | <25 | 79 | Ref | |
| 25–30 | 123 | −0.06 (−0.36, 0.24) | 0.70 | |
| >30 | 216 | −0.04 (−0.31, 0.23) | 0.77 | |
| Race | White | 222 | Ref | |
| Black | 161 | 0.05 (−0.19, 0.30) | 0.66 | |
| Other | 35 | 0.34 (−0.03, 0.71) | 0.07 | |
| Income, USD | ≤ 20,000 | 148 | 0.11 (−0.18, 0.40) | 0.47 |
| 20,001–50,000 | 146 | −0.04 (−0.30, 0.22) | 0.75 | |
| > 50,000 | 124 | Ref | ||
Adjusted R-squared=0.08; β, regression coefficient associated with change in log benzene; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval for regression coefficient; units in log ng/mL.
Time away from home, hours spent outside the home in the past 24 hours; Required support, reported receiving financial or material support in the past year; Lived near waste site, reported living within ½ mile of Superfund or hazardous waste sites since 2012; Season, season of blood collection; Smoky/chemical smells, smelled smoke or any unusual chemical smells in or around the home in the past 24 hours; Home construction, reported any new construction to the home in the past six months; DWH response worker, participated in at least one day of oil spill response or cleanup work; Seafood, reported consumption of seafood in the past 24 hours; Well water, consumes well water at home; State, state of residence at time of blood collection; BMI, body mass index; Income, annual household income.