Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Industrial and Occupational Dissease

Styrene, an aromatic hydrocarbon derived from benzene, is a colorless, volatile liquid with a sweet smell. It is used widely in the synthesis and manufacture of polystyrene, hundreds of different copolymers, and other industrial resins (NTP, 2014). people are naturally exposed to styrene in tiny amounts that may be present in the air or that occur in food (styrene is a natural component of foods such as cinnamon, beef, coffee beans, peanuts, wheat, oats and peaches) generally as trace amounts, whose detection was difficult until the recent technological advances (Helal and Elshafy 2012).Styrene is also present in combustion products such as cigarette smoke and automobile exhaust. The highest potential exposures to styrene occur in the production of reinforced plastics [ATSDR, 2010], in which fibers of glass or other materials are used to enhance the strength and resistance of plastics. Fiberglass-reinforced plastics (often called simply 2fiberglass3 materials) are made with styrene as a crosslinking agent in gel-coating and laminating operations (NTP, 2014) Industries that commonly use styrene include boat and automobile manufacturing, plastics, food packaging, wind energy, and plastic ornaments for outdoor decoration (McCague et al., 2015)

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