Hemotoxicity Assessment of Petrol Pump Workers

Abstract

Petrol (gasoline) supplied at fuel stations contains a number of toxicants. Biomonitoring of exposure to the field workers at workplaces has gained importance in the evaluation of human health hazards, since occupational exposure to gasoline may have serious health effects. This , study reports the impact of gasoline on the health of petrol pump attendants at various filling stations at Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The study group consisted of 159 healthy, non-smoker petrol filling workers, aged 20-50 years with exposure duration ra~ging from 1-20 years while 100 healthy subjects of the same age group but not directly exposed to petrol served as controls. To detennine the health impact of gasoline exposure, clinical tests like complete blood profile, liver and renal function tests and molecular tests like DNA ladder and quantification were carried out. Results showed that workers exposed for more than ten years had significant increase in hemoglobin (Hb) (P < 0.0001) and red blood cells (RBC) (P < 0.007) when compared with the control subjects .White blood cell count (P < 0.004) and platelets (P < 0.005) were significantly lowered in refueling workers as compared to controls. The DNA ladder assay of the workers working for more than ten years showed adduct or smear fonnation when compared to the control subjects. A significantly decreased in DNA concentration was noticeable in exposed workers as compared to the control subjects (P < 0.003). Lowered total serum protein content was observed in workers exposed for more than ten years as corp.pared to controls. In liver function tests, exposure was associated with higher levels of serum AST, ALT, ALP and bilirubin as compared to controls. This indicated the possibility of hepatotxicity on exposure of gasoline. In exposure, gasoline produced a significant increase in serum creatinine (P<O.OOOl) and urea concentration (P < 0.008) in exposed workers as compared to the control subjects. No significant difference was observed in serum testosterone level in exposed and non exposed subjects. The results of the present study indicate that there is a significant toxic effect of gasoline on workers exposed for longer duration. Improved detection and prevention technologies are needed to answer environmentally related health questions for petrol filling workers.