LONG-TERM exposure to benzene may be associated with an increased risk of allergic rhinitis and mortality among older adults, according to a large UK study.
Researchers found that higher benzene exposure, a chemical commonly found in crude oil, gasoline, cigarette smoke, and various industrial and contaminated consumer products, was linked to a greater incidence of allergic rhinitis, with biological ageing and genetic susceptibility potentially influencing the relationship.
Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the nasal passages, commonly causing sneezing, nasal congestion, itching, and a runny nose.
Although environmental pollution has previously been associated with respiratory and allergic conditions, the relationship between long-term benzene exposure and allergic rhinitis in older adults remains incompletely understood.
Researchers analysed data from 76,183 UK Biobank participants aged 65 years or older at baseline. Annual residential benzene exposure estimates from 2006 – 2020 were used to investigate associations with newly diagnosed allergic rhinitis and all-cause mortality.
The study also examined four biological ageing markers and a genetic risk score derived from 35 genetic variants associated with allergic rhinitis.
Over median follow-up periods of 13.3 years for allergic rhinitis and 14.8 years for mortality, researchers recorded 756 new cases of allergic rhinitis and 17,963 deaths.
Each interquartile range increase in benzene concentration, equivalent to 0.151 µg/m³, was associated with a 44% higher hazard of developing allergic rhinitis. The same increase in exposure was associated with a 21% higher hazard of all-cause mortality.
Researchers also identified exposure levels of approximately 0.255 µg/m³ and 0.277 µg/m³ at which the respective associations with allergic rhinitis and mortality changed.
Further analyses suggested that biological ageing may partly explain the association between benzene exposure and allergic rhinitis.
Genetic susceptibility also appeared to influence allergic rhinitis risk. Participants in the highest genetic risk tertile had a 54% higher hazard of developing allergic rhinitis compared with those in the lowest tertile.
The findings suggest that chronic exposure to relatively low concentrations of benzene may be relevant to allergic rhinitis risk in older adults, while biological ageing could represent one pathway linking environmental exposure with allergic disease and genetic susceptibility may help explain differences in individual vulnerability.
However, the observational study cannot establish that benzene directly causes allergic rhinitis or increased mortality. Residential exposure estimates may also differ from individuals’ actual exposure.
Further research is needed to clarify the biological mechanisms involved and determine whether reducing benzene exposure could lower allergic rhinitis incidence.
The authors conclude that environmental exposure, biological ageing, and genetic susceptibility should be considered together when investigating allergic disease in older populations.
Reference
Zhang J et al. Associations between benzene exposure and allergic rhinitis risk and survival in older adults: the mediating role of biological aging and the moderating influence of genetic susceptibility. BMC Geriatr. 2026. doi:10.1186/s12877-026-08302-z.
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