Toxicology Unit, Biology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 607, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Environ Mol Mutagen. 2011 May;52(4):310-8. doi: 10.1002/em.20622. Epub 2010 Sep 24.
Fuel (diesel and petrol) constitutes a complex mixture of volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbons among them benzene (BZ), toluene (TOL), and xylene (XYL) are considered to be the most hazardous, predominantly BZ because of its carcinogenic potency. Exposure to these compounds may have an impact on the health of the exposed subjects. Hence, genotoxicity and quantitative analysis of these compounds was performed in blood and urine samples of 200 workers exposed to fuel in filling stations and compared to controls. The level of genetic damage was determined by micronucleus test (MNT) in buccal epithelial cells (BEC) and chromosomal aberrations (CA) assay in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of fuel filling station attendants (FFSA) and compared to a matched control group. Urine analysis for BZ and its metabolites, phenol (Ph), trans, trans-Muconic Acid (t, t-MA), and S-Phenyl Mercapturic Acid (S-PMA) was done in all the study subjects. The results of our study revealed that exposure to BTX in petrol vapors induced a statistically significant increase in the frequency of micronuclei (MN) and CA in the exposed subjects than in controls (P < 0.05). There was a significant rise in the levels of urinary BZ, Ph, t, t-MA, and S-PMA in the exposed subjects. Our study highlights the significance of MNT, CA, and urinary metabolites as potential biological exposure indices of genetic damage in FFSA. This study suggests the need for regular monitoring of FFSA for possible exposure to BTX as a precautionary and preventive step to minimize exposure and reduce the associated health risks.
燃料（柴油和汽油）是一种复杂的挥发性易燃液体碳氢化合物混合物，其中苯（BZ）、甲苯（TOL）和二甲苯（XYL）被认为是最危险的，主要是因为 BZ 的致癌潜力。接触这些化合物可能会对暴露于这些化合物的受试者的健康产生影响。因此，对暴露于加油站燃料的 200 名工人的血液和尿液样本进行了遗传毒性和这些化合物的定量分析，并与对照组进行了比较。通过口腔上皮细胞（BEC）中的微核试验（MNT）和外周血淋巴细胞（PBL）中的染色体畸变（CA）试验来确定遗传损伤水平，然后将燃料加注站工作人员（FFSA）的结果与匹配的对照组进行比较。对所有研究对象的尿液进行了 BZ 及其代谢物苯酚（Ph）、反式，反式-粘康酸（t，t-MA）和 S-苯巯基尿酸（S-PMA）的分析。我们的研究结果表明，BTX 暴露于汽油蒸气中会导致暴露组的微核（MN）和 CA 频率显著高于对照组（P <0.05）。暴露组的尿液 BZ、Ph、t、t-MA 和 S-PMA 水平显著升高。本研究强调了 MNT、CA 和尿液代谢物作为 FFSA 遗传损伤潜在生物暴露指标的重要性。本研究表明，有必要定期监测 FFSA 以确定是否存在 BTX 暴露，作为预防和预防措施，以尽量减少暴露并降低相关健康风险。
