¹Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway New Jersey

Correspondence: Dr. Richard E. Opiekun, Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3308. Tel.: +1-215-898-5199. Fax: +1-215-898-2084. E-mail: opiekun@monell.org

Received 10 April 2000; Accepted 6 October 2000.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare the driving habits and vehicle maintenance patterns of individuals who report symptoms when exposed to methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) and those who are asymptomatic when exposed to the oxygenate. Participants were healthy volunteers (CON) and self-reported MTBE-sensitive individuals (SRS) who participated in a controlled exposure study of MTBE in gasoline. A questionnaire was developed to gather information about each participant's automobile usage, engine maintenance habits and fueling and driving patterns. Results showed that the individuals who had self-reported heightened sensitivity to the oxygenate drove their vehicles more often and fueled their vehicles more frequently than asymptomatic individuals. In addition, the self-reported symptomatic individuals in this study were shown to be more likely to drive vehicles with some form of body damage and carbureted engines.