بررسي تغييرات فنل ادرار و غلظت بنزن در هواي تنفسي كارگران پمپ بنزين

EVALUATION OF PHENOL CHANGES IN URINE AND BENZENE IN EXHALE AIR OF PETROL PUMP STATIONS WORKERS

Background & Aim: Benzene as a component of petrol fuel is known to be a carcinogen and relation between benzene and leukemia has been konwn in most epidemiological studies. The main metabolism of benzene is occurred in thr liver where benzene is oxidized and convert to phenol. Materials & Methods: To determine quantity of phenol in the urine of worker employed at petrol stations, 46 samples were obtained before and after working time hours. The samples were analyzed with gas chromatography equipped with flame ionization detector. The creatinine of urine was also determined based on Jaffe method by a spectrophotometer at wavelength of 520 nm. To determine concentration of benzene in ambient air,23 samples were obtained with charcoal using personal pump sampling and analyzed by gas chromatography equipped with flame ionization detector. Results: The results showed that, the mean concentration of benzene in afternoon and morning was 106.73 and 42.17 ppb respectively and there is not any significant difference between the mean concentration of phenol before and after working time hours (p=0.91) The correlation coefficient of phenol after shift with benzene was 0.44. The urine concentration of phenol at afternoon work hours was more than the morning shift (p=0.035).Also workers less than 15 years occupancy the concentration of phenol was more than the workers having up to 15 years occupancy (p=0.049). Discussion: This research concludes that in condition that benzene in ambient air is less than I ppm,phenol metabolite is not a perfect biological monitoring. Because of carcinogen effect of benzene, it is necessary that the workers of petrol stations are under health care and period medical examination during their occupancy.