Estimated absorbed daily doses of benzene (μg/day) for members of the general public under different exposure scenarios
| Activity | Rural non-smoker (a) | Urban non-smoker (b) | Urban passive smoker (c) |
Urban smoker (d) | Extreme case (e) |
| Indoors | 45.5 | 63.7 | 91 | 91 | 58 |
| In vehicle | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Refuelling6-150 | 1.9–7.4 | 1.9–7.4 | 1.9–7.4 | 1.9–7.4 | 1.9–7.4 |
| Outdoors, pleasure | 0.5 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Outdoors, work6-151 | — | — | — | — | 330 |
| Smoking | — | — | — | 400 | 400 |
| Total daily dose | 70–75 | 89–95 | 116–122 | 516–522 | 814–819 |
↵6-150 The lower of the reported range refers to whether vapour recovery equipment has been fitted in filling necks and petrol pump nozzles. As these are still not required by United Kingdom or European Union legislation, the higher value of this range will reflect current exposure more accurately and therefore this value is used for evaluating benzene exposure to the general United Kingdom population. As the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is preparing a consultation paper for a scheme to implement controls to reduce emissions from this source, there should be a gradual reduction of exposure to benzene from this source (down to an estimated daily absorbed dose of 1.5 μg) over the next few years.
↵6-151 Breathing rate for heavy activity is 2.5 m3/h (Layton78).