Ambient Benzene Trends in Singapore
Benzene is a Volatile Organic Compound that occurs naturally in crude petroleum and is emitted through the processing and burning of petroleum products, with a wide range of sources like petrochemical industries, motor vehicle exhausts, and tobacco smoke.
The World Health Organization (WHO) provides risk-based guidelines for long-term benzene exposure, but does not set a single threshold. Jurisdictions such as the European Union (EU) have established an annual limit value of ~1.6 parts per billion (ppb) for ambient benzene concentrations. Singapore’s annual benzene levels at our air monitoring stations in residential areas for the last five years are shown below, and have been consistently below the European Union limit of 1.6ppb.
