硫化氢(H2S)是一种有毒气体,以其在职业环境中的急性健康风险而闻名,但对慢性和低水平暴露的影响知之甚少。这篇重要的评论调查了毒理学和实验研究,曝光源,标准,以及与自然和人为来源的H2S长期暴露有关的流行病学研究。H2S释放,虽然记录不佳,近年来,石油和天然气以及其他设施似乎有所增加。低于10ppm的慢性暴露长期以来与气味厌恶有关,眼,鼻部,呼吸和神经的影响。然而,暴露在更低的水平,低于0.03ppm(30ppb),与神经系统影响的患病率增加有关,H2S浓度低于0.001ppm(1ppb)的增量与眼部有关,鼻部,和呼吸的影响。流行病学文献中的许多研究都受到暴露测量误差的限制,共同污染物暴露和潜在的混杂因素,小样本量,以及对代表性的关注,研究还没有考虑到弱势群体。需要进行长期的基于社区的研究,以确认低浓度的发现并完善暴露指南。需要修订纳入短期和长期限制的准则,以保护社区,特别是生活在H2S源附近的敏感人群。
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a toxic gas that is well-known for its acute health risks in occupational settings, but less is known about effects of chronic and low-level exposures. This critical review investigates toxicological and experimental studies, exposure sources, standards, and epidemiological studies pertaining to chronic exposure to H2S from both natural and anthropogenic sources. H2S releases, while poorly documented, appear to have increased in recent years from oil and gas and possibly other facilities. Chronic exposures below 10 ppm have long been associated with odor aversion, ocular, nasal, respiratory and neurological effects. However, exposure to much lower levels, below 0.03 ppm (30 ppb), has been associated with increased prevalence of neurological effects, and increments below 0.001 ppm (1 ppb) in H2S concentrations have been associated with ocular, nasal, and respiratory effects. Many of the studies in the epidemiological literature are limited by exposure measurement error, co-pollutant exposures and potential confounding, small sample size, and concerns of representativeness, and studies have yet to consider vulnerable populations. Long-term community-based studies are needed to confirm the low concentration findings and to refine exposure
guidelines. Revised
guidelines that incorporate both short- and long-term limits are needed to protect communities, especially sensitive populations living near H2S sources.