Factors Affecting Adverse Health Effects of Gasoline Station Workers

This cross-sectional study examined the risk factors affecting adverse health effects from benzene exposure among gasoline station workers in Khon Kean province, Thailand. An interview questionnaire of adverse symptoms relating to benzene toxicity was administered to 151 workers. Area samplings for benzene concentration and spot urine for tt-muconic acid (tt-MA), a biomarker of benzene exposure, were collected. The factors associated with adverse symptoms were analysed by using multiple logistic regression. It was found that these symptoms mostly affected fuelling workers (77.5%), and the detected air benzene reached an action level or higher than 50% of NIOSH REL (>50 ppb). The top five adverse symptoms, i.e., fatigue, headache, dizziness, nasal congestion, and runny nose, were reported among workers exposed to benzene. More specific symptoms of benzene toxicity were chest pain, bleeding/epistaxis, and anaemia. The detected tt-MA of workers was 506.7 ug/g Cr (IQR), which was a value above the BEI and higher than that of asymptomatic workers. Risk factors significantly associated with adverse symptoms, included having no safety training experience (ORadj = 5.22; 95% CI: 2.16–12.58) and eating during work hours (ORadj = 16.08; 95% CI: 1.96–131.74). This study urges the tightening of health and safety standards at gasoline stations to include training and eating restrictions while working in hazardous areas.

Occupational Exposure to Gasoline in Gasoline Station Male Attendants Promote M1 Polarization in Macrophages

Several studies have reported the toxicological implications of exposure of petroleum hydrocarbon fumes in animal models. There is little documentation on the effect of such exposure on oxidative stress levels and immune response. To our knowledge; no documentation of M1 polarization in macrophages in gasoline station male attendants. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the harmful effects of gasoline vapors in 62 of male attendants (16–70 years) compared to 29 age- and sex- matched- unexposed controls. The attendants were recruited from Damietta governorate gasoline stations. Results, gasoline exposure induced significant increase in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level (p < 0.05) as well as a slight but non-significant increase in the activity of acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) (p > 0.05). Further TNF-α/AMCase ratio was significantly increased )p < 0.01) in sera of the attendants when compared to those of the healthy controls. Also, the total leucocytic and lymphocytic counts were significantly increased (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). On contrary, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were significantly decreased (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, significant reduction in hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, plasma glutathione reduced form (GSH) and catalase, as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in red blood cells were observed in the exposed attendants. As a result, malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) levels and NO/AMCase ratio were significantly increased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study inferred that prolonged gasoline exposure can mediate immune activation; especially M1 macrophages polarization; possibly via oxidative stress mediated mechanism.

Evaluation of Exposure to Toluene and Xylene in Gasoline Station Workers

The main volatile organic compounds found at gasoline stations are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX). They cause several harmful effects on human health. Regulatory Norm 7 (1978) provides that, in Brazil, biological monitoring of toluene and xylene is carried out by measuring the urinary metabolites hippuric acid (HA) and methylhippuric acid (MHA), respectively. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure to toluene and xylene and to identify related signs and symptoms in gasoline station workers. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted with workers occupationally exposed to fuels. These gasoline station workers were divided into two groups: 94 workers exposed mainly by inhalation (convenience store workers (CSWs)) and 181 workers exposed by inhalation and dermal route (filling station attendants (FSAs)). A comparison group was formed by 119 workers not occupationally exposed to fuels (office workers (OWs)). Workers exposed to fuels had higher average levels of these exposure biomarkers (HA and MHA), which were also higher in convenience store workers than in filling station attendants. In addition, individuals exposed to the solvents present in gasoline had altered mood/depression, cramps, dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, irritability/nervousness, weakness, weight loss, and other symptoms more frequently and had higher urinary levels of HA and MHA compared to the comparison group. Gasoline station workers showed high levels of HA and MHA, reflecting high occupational exposure to the solvents toluene and xylene present in gasoline, demonstrating that changes in the current legislation and in the work environment are necessary to ensure better health protection for these workers.

Pembentukan Mikronukleus di Mukosa Bukal akibat Paparan Senyawa Kimia pada Berbagai Macam Pekerjaan

In general, an occupation could have hazzard and risk of exposure to genotoxic chemical compounds. These compounds could lead to micronucleus formation on buccal mucosa. This study was aimed to obtain the impact of chemical exposure on micronucleus formation in buccal mucosa at various occupations. This was a literature review study using databases of PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar based on the keywords. The criteria of literatures were articles published in 2016-2021 using Indonesian or English language. The results showed that group compounds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), metals, carbamate, and organophospate, also compunds of silica, bezene, toluene, xylene (BTX), sevoflurane, desflurane, isoflurane, nitrous oxide, gemcitabin, and 5-fluoro uracil were genotoxic chemical compunds and could cause micronucleus formation in buccal mucosa of mechanics, grillers, miners, e-waste recyclers, construction workers, road markers, car painters, gasoline station workers, farmers, and healthcare workers. Genotoxic chemical compounds could be found excessively in occupational environment. These compounds could damage cells’ DNA and caused micronucleus formation on buccal mucosa of workers. It is suggested to study further about cell damage biomarkers caused by genotoxic chemical compound exposure.Keywords: micronucleus formation in buccal mucosa, chemical exposure of genotoxic compounds, occupational riskAbstrak: Suatu pekerjaan dapat memiliki risiko dan bahaya terpapar senyawa kimia yang bersifat genotoksik. Senyawa kimia tersebut dapat menyebabkan terbentuknya mikronukleus di mukosa pipi rongga mulut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengulas pengaruh paparan senyawa kimia pada berbagai macam pekerjaan terhadap pembentukan mikronukleus di mukosa bukal. Jenis penelitian ialah literature review. Penelusuran literatur melalui database PubMed, ScienceDirect, dan Google Scholar berdasarkan kata kunci yang sesuai. Kriteria literatur ialah terbitan tahun 2016-2021 dengan Bahasa Indonesia atau Inggris. Hasil penelitian mendapatkan senyawa kelompok polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), logam, carbamate, dan organophospate, serta senyawa silica, benzene, toluene, xylene (BTX), sevoflurane, desflurane, isoflurane, nitrous oksida, gemcitabin, dan 5-fluoro uracil merupakan senyawa kimia yang bersifat genotoksik dan dapat memicu pembentukan mikronukleus di mukosa bukal mekanik, pemanggang daging, penambang, pendaur ulang sampah elektronik, pekerja konstruksi, pekerja marka jalan, pengecat mobil, petugas SPBU, petani dan tenaga kesehatan. Senyawa kimia yang bersifat genotoksik banyak ditemukan di lingkungan pekerjaan. Senyawa tersebut dapat merusak DNA sel sehingga terbentuk mikronukleus di mukosa bukal pekerja. Disarankan untuk melakukan penelitian lanjut mengenai biomarker kerusakan sel akibat paparan senyawa kimia yang genotoksik.Kata kunci: pembentukan mikronukleus di mukosa pipi, paparan senyawa kimia genotoksik, risiko pekerjaan

Health Risk Assessment for the Exposure of Workers to BTEX at the Gasoline Stations

The study was conducted to assess the health risks of workers due to exposure to toxic gases including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m, p-xylene, o-xylene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde at gasoline retail stations. In this study, data on the concentrations of the toxic gases were collected from the previously published studies in the qualified scientific journals. The health risk assessment was followed by the process of the United States Environment Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The results show that the concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m, p-xylene, o-xylene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde were in the range of 12.40 - 357.5, 12.47 - 574.17, 2.05 - 156.5, 4.57 - 218, 2.36 - 77.04, 3.64 - 153.93 and 1.27- 27.83 µg/m3 , respectively. Life time cancer risk for gasoline station workers due to exposure to benzene, ethylbenzene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde was calculated in the ranges of 2.13x10-5 - 6.14x10-4 , 4.96x10-7 - 3.79x10-5 , 4.81x10-6 - 2.03x10-4 , and 7.99x10-7 - 1.75x10-5 , respectively. For non-carcinogenic compounds, the hazard index due to benzene, toluene, m, p-xylene, o-xylene were respectively in the range of 0.13 - 3.81, 7.97x10-4 - 0.04, 0.01 - 0.70 and 0.01 - 0.25. The findings revealed that there is high risk of cancer and non-cancer for the workers working at the gasolines stations if they are not taking good preventive measures. The calculation showed that the limit levels of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde should be reduced to 5.82x10-4 , 15.64, 4.13x10- 3 , 0.31, 7.57x10-4 and 1.59x10-3 mg/m3 , respectively to meet the safety levels for the workers at the gasoline stations. Keywords: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, life-time cancer risk, health

Benzene Exposure and Cancer Risk from Commercial Gasoline Station Fueling Events Using a Novel Self-Sampling Protocol

Tens of millions of individuals go to gasoline stations on a daily basis in the United States. One of the constituents of gasoline is benzene, a Group 1 carcinogen that has been strongly linked to both occupational and non-occupational leukemias. While benzene content in gasoline is federally regulated, there is approximately a thirty-year data gap in United States research on benzene exposures from pumping gasoline. Using a novel self-sampling protocol with whole air canisters, we conducted a gasoline pumping exposure assessment for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) on Baltimore, MD consumers. Geometric mean exposures (geometric standard deviations) were 3.2 (2.7) ppb,9.5 (3.5) ppb, 2.0 (2.8) ppb, and 7.3 (3.0) ppb, respectively, on 32 samples. Using the benzene exposures, we conducted consumer and occupational probabilistic risk assessments and contextualized the risk with ambient benzene exposure risk. We found that the consumer scenarios did not approach the 1:1,000,000 excess risk management threshold and that the occupational scenario did not exceed the 1:10,000 excess risk management threshold. Further, in all Monte Carlo trials, the ambient risk from benzene exposure exceeded that of pumping risk for consumers, but that in approximately 30% of occupational trials, the pumping risk exceeded the ambient risk.